Her Story
About Alethia
Alethia Y. Douthard, BSW, is an experienced Life Coach and Family Life Specialist based in Cleveland, Ohio, with over 19 years of professional experience in social services, customer service, and behavioral health. She currently serves as a Life Coach II at CareSource, where she has worked for nearly six years supporting members all over Ohio with services. In her role at one of the nation’s largest Medicaid and Medicare organizations, she provides critical support connecting individuals and families to housing, educational resources, utility assistance, and emergency services. She is widely recognized as a resource specialist within her team, often going above and beyond to ensure members receive the support they need. Alethia brings extensive field experience from her previous work in the mental health and developmental disabilities sector, where she served as a Qualified Intellectual Disabilities Professional and social worker for approximately five and a half years. During that time, she managed three residential homes serving 24 adults with disabilities, providing direct care coordination, supervision, and daily support services. The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound personal and professional impact on her during this period, as she experienced the loss of residents and colleagues while working tirelessly to maintain safety, stability, and care during an unprecedented crisis. This experience ultimately shaped her transition into a more sustainable, remote-based role in healthcare support. Today, Alethia is deeply committed to advocating for vulnerable populations, with a strong focus on housing insecurity and access to essential resources. She maintains active relationships with 211 systems and community organizations across Ohio, including Cuyahoga County, Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus, to better serve her members. Known for her persistence and dedication, she takes pride in “digging, pulling, and turning over every rock” to find solutions for those in need. Her guiding mission is simple yet powerful: ensuring that individuals and families are supported, stabilized, and never left without hope or resources, especially in times of crisis.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Alethia
01What do you attribute your success to?
My mother. My mom (parents) were our biggest cheerleaders and advocate for their three daughters. You know, we didn't have much... you know, I will say this. I came from a proud two-parent household. I love that and world change our give that up for the world. Now these days, a lot of kids don't come from that. But I will say, my mother made us very humble. We didn't have unnecessary things. We had exactly what we needed. Which is what got us to where we are. You know, it wasn't like my mother had to buy all three of us a car when we turned 16. If she didn't have it. She didn't have it. We rode the bus. These kids, nowadays, they don't feel they need to ride the bus. We walked, rode our bikes. You know, we caught the bus to the mall with our friends, we hung out at the mall and just being humble teenagers. That's one thing I love is having both parents. I miss not having my mom and dad here. They taught us being humble and being focused on life will take you to where you want to go. Also enjoy what you have and remember who helped mold and shape you. So, even though, we didn't have extravagant things. The simplest. things shaped us to who we became, the women that we are today. Thanks to my parents, we are the mothers, the grandmother, the aunts, the great aunts and the Godmothers that take care of our family. Because of the love our my parents shaping me into who i am, is what made me take my godson in when his mother and family was going through a rough time. My family and i took in my godson when he was... 9 months old.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
To always help someone in need, the favor comes back when you least expect it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be humble and Love yourself. Sometimes you never know what others are going through now. Keep an open mind and heart, and be a listening ear, Being humble and having an open heart can help you when it comes to helping somebody else, because that one iis looking to you for help and not to be judgemental on what they are going through.
So, keep in mind, being humble, and not judgemental goes a long way when you have Someone open up to you. Just keep in mind, this could be you in another year, calling for help, telling you, I don't have life. My lights just got turned off, I don't have a home anymore. So, definitely being humble and not judging definitely goes a long way.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Locating resources for everyone that needs the assistance.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Respect! It goes a long way!
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