Her Story
About Brittney
Brittney White serves as Assistant Director and Licensed Master of Social Work at Continuum of Care Incorporated, a nonprofit organization in the mental health services field. With 13 years at the organization, she has risen from per diem staff to senior leadership and has been assistant director for nearly three years while also maintaining her license as a social worker for the past three years. In her role, White oversees young adult services and long-term services, provides extensive clinical oversight including medication management and risk assessment, ensures compliance with regulatory bodies such as DMHAS and DDS in Connecticut, manages funding measures, and fosters relationships with referring hospitals including Connecticut Valley Hospital and Yale New Haven Health to support client transitions. She holds a bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Studies from UConn and a master's degree in social work from Quinnipiac University. Her professional credentials include certifications in therapeutic crisis intervention (TCI), CPR, QPR for suicide prevention, and DEI. White is a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the NAACP. She collaborates with Quinnipiac researchers to advocate for expanded Medicaid services and received the Unleashing Leadership and Others award from Dale Carnegie. White attributes her success to her faith in God and family support, and she emphasizes values of integrity, honesty, compassion, and grace in both her professional and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Brittney
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute it to God all the way. There are just ways in which there's nothing I could have done without Him, so my faith has truly been the backbone to my success, as well as family, of course. But faith has been the driver in everything that I've done, in everything that I continue to do.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
For me, I like to be able to go into a job and know that when I leave here, I've done the best that I can, and it's something that I'm passionate about, and I don't mind it, even on the hard days. I don't mind it. For me, I think in order to call something your career, you have to be compassionate about it, and you have to care, and you have to have confidence that it's something that you can do effectively, but also actually really want to do. So I always say there's three C's before there's career, and that's confidence, that's, you know, care, and that's, compassion.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say, no matter what, you are able and capable of being in this field. It can get hard, it can get tough, but the natural nurturing of a woman is very vital and very important in this field, because sometimes they just need someone to care about them and not see them as who, what they were, and I find me being able to flip back and forth from just the natural essence of a woman and my education and background allows for me to connect with my residents in ways that I don't see a lot of people can do. And I really try to use that as one of my biggest. Even though I think in America, or just in the world, women are diminished in some ways, I think we are superhumans in fields like this.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Truly, the biggest challenge is there's just not enough resources. I think one of the biggest things that happened after COVID was the conversation has broaden, and people are more comfortable having those conversations and seeking the support, but unfortunately, the resources that we need to support everyone at the same level, right? We don't we can't do equality, but we try to be equitable in the opportunities for everyone to get the support that they need. And it gets really hard when our resources are so limited. So it's really a job of being creative every single day, problem solving, trying to stretch a little for a lot, and you know, trying to meet a need that is honestly almost overwhelming at all times.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
For me, I think if you approach everything with integrity, honesty, and compassion. You can pretty much figure most things out, I think. Having the ability to see people where they are, meet people where they are, not judge a book by its cover truly is the only way that you can navigate this world. ... Grace, and having that grace, not only for yourself, but for the people that you interact with, it allows for you to see it a little bit brighter than what is normally out here for us to see.
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