Crissy Owens is a new edition to the Solon High School guidance team. She has been chosen to be Solon’s new SAY social worker. A SAY social worker is a social worker in a specific program or agency, such as School, Adolescent or Youth (SAY).
Owens works with sophomores and seniors and has officially become a full time employee as of Monday, Oct. 14. She’s open for appointments that can be scheduled on the SHS Counselors website. She hopes to be able to connect with students this year and be a problem solver.
Owens worked with Solon students prior to starting her permanent position here, when the former social worker Adrianna Ripma was on leave. She said she feels confident in her position working and gaining connections with new and previous students.
Jodie Lurie, the Student Facilitator for freshmen and juniors, said having Owens around is a positive experience. Before Owens was in this position, Lurie had to handle the entirety of the student body. But now, Owens has taken the sophomore and senior students.
“Some advice I would give to students who need help or support opening up to Miss Owen’s is that she’s a trained professional, and she’s good at what she does,” Lurie said.
Lurie said that students may have a hard time opening up to Owens at first because she’s new and not what they’re used to.
“Miss Ripma was new at some point too,” Lurie said. “They let themselves get to know her. Time and trust building. With the position comes education training and interviews.”
Guidance Office Secretary Jennifer Rooney, who tends to help with crisis situations often, said Owens being around and occupying this new spot makes her job significantly easier and more convenient.
A crisis situation or issue can be referred to as an event that disrupts normal functioning and can cause physical or emotional harm to the school community.
“Without her there were times when I used to have to [manage] situations and figure out who was going to be the best counselor to assist certain students,” Rooney said. “Especially having [Owens] in addition to Mrs. Lurie has been great. If Mrs. Lurie is busy, we now additionally have Miss Owens if multiple of the counselors are in a meeting.”
Owens said she is excited to learn more and work further with Solon students. Owen said she feels not enough people are willing to take on the challenging role of social work.
“I am really excited to meet some new students and new counselors,” Ownes said. “I think it will provide me with more experience as I’m on my journey to get my independent license. I’m excited to provide a sense of support.”
An independent license is a professional credential that allows a social worker to practice without direct supervision, diagnose and treat mental health disorders and operate their own practice.
It’s a good, neutral, safe additional staff member for students to be able to talk to,” Rooney said. “I think they’re more prepared to handle crisis situations. They’re best equipped to help support students with additional needs that go beyond the classroom.”
Owens said she feels confident and ready to help students in crisis situations. She feels she has been given the right skill set and amount of training to handle these emotional and crisis situations with care.
“I feel like there are not enough people willing to take on the social work role,” Owens said. “Some students don’t feel like they have enough support.”
