rachel crabtree
What is your job title and what year did you come on staff at The WellHouse?
I am the Director of Trauma Therapy and I came on as full-time staff in December 2021. I previously interned at the WellHouse from August 2020 - May 2021.
What is your favorite part about your job?
My favorite part of my job is to be able to 'do life' with the ladies at TWH - staff and residents. We all experience heavy life changes from marriages, to deaths, to kids graduating, to becoming a grandparent, to switching jobs, to facing rejections, and the list goes on and on. I find comfort in the fact that The WellHouse feels more like a family than a job. I believe we start to see real change in the residents of The WellHouse when they feel that sense of safety and belonging. A sense some of them may never have had.
Tell us about your educational and professional experience that equips you to be successful in this field.
I have a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice, a Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and I am currently working on my PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision - all from the University of Alabama. I am an Associate Licensed Counselor in the state of Alabama and a National Certified Counselor.
My previous work experience includes working at a residential treatment facility for juvenile sex offenders, a residential facility for adolescent females adjudicated from the Department of Youth Services, and a private practice counseling center. I recently had an article published titled "Police Officer Responses to Deadly Encounters with the Public: Understanding Situational Characteristics that Impact Decision-Making" and have another article in the works on doctoral student nondisclosure during the dissertation phase.
Please share your favorite memory from your time working at The WellHouse.
During my internship at The WellHouse, I worked on a "birth to now" timeline with one of our residents. I tasked her with finding pictures, words, and images that represented her life from birth to now. I gave her a large poster board and every week when we would meet she would literally piece the puzzle together of her life. When I came back on staff later that year, she had transitioned to the apartments on property and when she saw me she gave me the biggest hug. She told me our work together changed her life. Little does she know, the work we did together changed my life. I will always remember the work we did together and the stories she shared.
How has working at The WellHouse impacted your life?
The work I have done at The WellHouse has impacted the way I look at eternity. The work each and every person does at The WellHouse has the opportunity to impact our residents’ eternity - that's HUGE! Some of our women come so broken, scared, alone, and without hope. It is amazing to watch them at their first chapel service. It's exciting to hear them start to question God and know the Holy Spirit is working within them. And it is indescribable when you hear them say they got saved.
I rest in knowing that no matter what decisions they make, the salvation given to us freely from Christ Jesus can never be taken away from them. The WellHouse has allowed me to trust God to an even higher extent and hand over the control of these women to Him. He will guide and protect them, this I am sure.