Colleen Croff

I attribute my success to finding my niche in helping mental health organizations either grow or recover while maintaining clinical quality. This is now my third director role, and I've discovered that I thrive when going into businesses that are either just starting or need to grow. I focus on developing clinical programming to be at its best while simultaneously helping the business side succeed. I've worked on growing two different businesses and helped another organization recover from a hard slump by revamping their systems. What drives me is the ability to ensure clinical excellence and quality training for clinicians while supporting the overall business goals, whether that's expansion or recovery. I think my success comes from being able to balance both the clinical perspective and the business needs as organizations scale.

The best career advice I ever received was learning to accept that when you step into leadership and directing roles, your to-do list is never going to be done. I remember always being stressed out thinking I need to catch up and get to the bottom of my list, but once you step into leadership, there's always going to be something more to do. The key is finding a way to be okay with that reality and learning to prioritize effectively. This advice helped me let go of the perfectionist need to complete everything and instead focus on what matters most. It's about being consistent, honest, and having integrity in your work, and following through on what you commit to, rather than trying to achieve an impossible state of having nothing left to do.

I get to give this advice a lot, and the biggest thing I tell young women entering the mental health field is to learn the difference between compassion and empathy. I think we go into this field being bleeding hearts, wanting to help everyone, but the reality is that mental health is a business. You can't just be an endless provider - you really do have to have business knowledge to manage your career and have longevity in this field. It's not enough to just care deeply about people; you need to understand the business side of mental health, how to set boundaries, and how to sustain yourself professionally. Learning to balance your clinical heart with business acumen is essential for long-term success.

Our field is really struggling right now with all the technology advances, and a lot of therapists are worried that AI is going to take over. But I think one of the most important things we need to focus on is working with technology rather than being scared of it or resisting it, because it's coming whether we like it or not. The real question is: how can technology benefit our field and our work? I see clients all the time who tell me they asked ChatGPT for advice over the weekend when I wasn't available, and honestly, sometimes it gives pretty good insight. I think AI can be a good in-between support outside of the therapy office. Can it be your only thing? No, but there are definitely ways we can use it effectively. The opportunity I see is in continuing to help clinicians be comfortable doing both human work and technological work together. I think that's going to be really important for our profession moving forward.

The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are consistency, honesty, and integrity. I also deeply value following through on what you say you're going to do. If you commit to something, you need to follow through with it. These principles guide how I lead my team, how I work with clients, and how I show up in all areas of my life. I believe that being consistent and honest, and maintaining your integrity even when things get difficult, is what builds trust and creates lasting impact.