Her Story
About Gwendolyn
Gwendolyn Hale serves as a supervisor within the Child and Family Services Department for the Child Access and Engagement Team and the Behavioral Health Aide Team at NorthCare in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In this role, she supports her team in completing screenings, suicide assessments and safety assessments for children and families accessing behavioral health services and provides guidance on complex cases involving suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation, emotional dysregulation, aggression and safety concerns. With over 20 years of experience in the behavioral health, social work, and education fields, Gwendolyn, an ordained minister, draws on her faith in God to guide her work with vulnerable populations. She earned a Bachelor's of Arts in Psychology from Langston University after graduating from Omaha North High School and holds a Case Management II certification as well as a SOAR certification. As a SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach Access and Recovery) case manager Gwendolyn assists individuals with applying for social security benefits. Gwendolyn is active in her community as she is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and currently serves on the regional Chaplain and Spiritual Oversight Committee. She previously served as an election official in Midland, Texas, served on a grand jury, and established Seeds of Grace Ministry in 2018. This ministry focused on advocacy, mitigating food and housing insecurities, and inspiring hope for those consumed with despair. Gwendolyn attributes her success to her Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, "Everything I am, He made and everything I have, He gave!" The faith, hope and love she possesses were definitely developed and strengthened through life's struggles. With joy, compassion and a supernatural inner strength she advises young women entering the mental health field to maintain a healthy support system, intentionally participate in self-care and to sow seeds of grace on a daily basis.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Gwendolyn
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my faith and the strength found in my struggles. There were struggles, mountains, and valleys, I thought I wouldn't make it through. However, I soon realized they were all designed to develop and reveal inner strength I never imagined was there. It was and is God's strength being made perfect in my weakness. So whenever I feel like giving up, I whisper a prayer, and the Lord shows up in a strong and mighty way to help me complete the work already begun.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever been given is to make sure the service I'm providing is client centered. In other words, make sure it's what the client wants for themself and not what I want for the client. Only then will the client commit to their own treatment and success.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would encourage her to make sure she has a great support system first, because a lot of the cases that she will deal with could often be triggering, and so many times as caretakers we neglect ourselves. She must make sure she's healthy and has that support system, even if it means securing a counselor or therapist. Secondly, know that she is stronger than her struggle. Whatever she is facing, she has a greater power living in her. It is not the time to give up but to continue to move forward. She has to be intentional about the decisions she's making and to make sure those decisions are healthy and will propel her forward.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The greatest challenges include realizing that sometimes our system is just broken and I don't have the answer or can't fix the issue right then within that 60-minute session. For example, when working with adults who are street homeless and looking for a place to stay, the only thing I could offer were shelters already filled to capacity. There needs to be more resources available for those with housing insecurities or food insecurities.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My faith is most important, and prayerfully I display this within my professional life and private life. Also, honesty, integrity, compassion, and simply doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.
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