Hopefully you’ve heard this message from Maine Children’s Home (MCH) before:

You are SEEN!

You are VALUED!

You are HEARD!

We truly hope that every single person who has an encounter with MCH in some way feels this. Whether you have benefited from a training with Connected Community, you’re a teen parent, a family who has worked with our adoption program, felt the joy of packing or receiving a Christmas box, or you’re an employee, it is our deepest desire that you know and feel you are SEEN, VALUED, & HEARD. 

Let me introduce myself! I’m Meg, the Program Director for the Family Turner Counseling Center at MCH. You may have seen that the Counseling Center is hiring! We are seeking to add counselors to our team who have a passion for helping people — from all walks of life — feel seen, valued & heard. We know that there are so many options out there these days that help serve children and families in need, so why consider MCH? 

I’d love to tell you a bit about my experience as an employee and counselor at MCH. I started here about two and a half years ago and instantly felt at home. Go figure…it’s in the name. I sort of came to MCH by chance.  I was working in the field, feeling okay about the path I was on when I received a call from a colleague asking if I would be interested in considering coming to work for MCH. I wasn’t really looking for a change but thought, ‘what’s the harm in checking it out…’. The moment I made contact with MCH I realized what I had been missing. I wasn’t going to be just a cog in the wheel at MCH. I was greeted warmly and given a voice [HEARD] and options in how I wanted to practice clinical social work. MCH VALUED my commitment and heart toward my current clients and allowed me to transition on my own schedule. 

Fast forward a bit to 2020. We had no idea what was in store, did we?! When COVID hit, the organization had to quickly pivot and change everything about how we offered services, just like so many others. I experienced leadership welcome everyone’s voice into the decision-making process and truly consider what was best for each individual’s needs at such an incredible time. It would have been so easy to implement ‘top down’ rules, mandates, etc., but together, as a team we decided what was the best and safest way to continue to serve. Every single employee’s needs were SEEN and considered.

I honestly could go on and on with examples of how I’ve felt SEEN, VALUED, & HEARD while serving with MCH. I truly believe that an organization with the mission to ‘build and strengthen families and their children, instilling hope for the future and a better quality of life’ can only be successful when those walking out that mission are seen, valued, and heard.

Interested in becoming a counselor at Maine Children’s Home? Please visit our Job Opportunities page.

Written by Meg Abbott, LCSW

Turner Family Counseling Center Program Director at Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers

The Harland A. Turner Family Counseling Center, a program of the Maine Children’s Home, is licensed by the state of Maine as an outpatient mental health facility. Services include individual, couple, child, and family counseling. All staff members are licensed clinicians qualified by credentialing and experience.

Visit our counseling page to learn more about the counseling center at the Maine Children’s Home.