Why I Came, Why I Stayed: Best Care EAP’s Joy Youngland is forever thankful for colleagues who helped her through the loss of her husband

In “Why I Came, Why I Stayed,” you’ll get to know people who are making a difference every day at Methodist and how they contribute to providing The Meaning of Care. To explore career opportunities at Methodist, visit bestcare.org/jobs.

Joy Youngland, MS, MSW, LIMHP, CSW
Counselor
Best Care Employee Assistance Program
 

Tell us a little about yourself.

My hobbies include early morning walks – sometimes even when there’s a snowstorm! – as well as group exercise classes at the YMCA, reading news magazines and traveling. I enjoy flying into a city, whether it be London, Seattle or Washington, D.C., and exploring the area on foot and by public transportation. My favorite vacation spot is Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Tell us about your background and journey to Methodist.

I selected creative writing and literature as my undergraduate focus. Being a very practical person, I decided to add a business administration major and, consequently, completed a dual-major degree.

When I graduated from college, it was difficult to find employment due to a worldwide recession. I found a job as a residential manager of a group home for teen girls. After recognizing how much I enjoyed the human services field, l obtained a master’s degree in human development and family at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I was drawn toward family therapy courses, which led to employment with the state of Nebraska as a child protective services case manager. While employed with the state, I also held a position as a disability services specialist.

When my husband, Randy, and I moved from Lincoln to Omaha, I was attracted to a position as an intake clinician at the now-closed Richard Young Center – which was overseen by Methodist Hospital. I had previously completed an internship during my master’s degree at a psychiatric hospital, and I welcomed returning to that field. After a couple years at Methodist-Richard Young, I transferred to Best Care EAP. 

The EAP job was a wonderful fit! I have the opportunity to counsel children, teens, adults, couples and families. I especially enjoy marriage and relationship counseling, healing emotional wounds from childhood, and helping adults navigate life transitions. I enjoy hearing my clients’ life stories and having a front row seat to witness their growth. Everyone who comes to EAP has a story to tell and needs a safe place to share their life experiences without fear of being judged. I strive for authenticity and to earn my clients trust as we collaborate as a team of equals and look for solutions that lead to an enhanced quality of life.

After about six years at Best Care EAP, we moved to Topeka, Kansas. While my husband, Randy, furthered his career, I took addiction counseling classes at a local community college and obtained a master’s degree in social work at the University of Kansas. When we were considering a return to Omaha, I was delighted to see there was a job opening at Best Care EAP and was even more excited when I was rehired. EAP counseling had become my passion.

Why is Methodist such a special place for you?

After Randy and I returned to Omaha, I noticed him becoming increasingly forgetful, disorganized and confused. Eventually he was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. We started needing in-home caregivers to supervise Randy while I worked. He became paranoid and aggressive, and he experienced frequent auditory and visual hallucinations. Eventually he was placed in a memory care facility. 

I am so very thankful for the management team and my colleagues at Best Care EAP.  Many times I wondered if I would need to quit my job in order to care for my husband. My supervisor, Terry Coleman, and our director, Jean Faber, let me reduce my work hours and spread the hours over six days so I could supervise Randy. Later, Terry and Jean provided me with the flexibility to leave work, many times unexpectedly, to help memory care staff manage Randy’s difficult behaviors. I am very grateful for the business office staff who took on the extra responsibility of calling my clients and rescheduling appointments. My fellow counselors, especially Amy Monzingo, whom I have known for a couple decades, provided a listening ear when my caregiving duties seemed overwhelming. 

Somehow I managed to stay employed during the years of caregiving. Numerous times I thought I would need to resign.  My husband died about three ago. I remain thankful for my Best Care EAP colleagues. I couldn’t have continued my career without them!

Whenever people ask where I work, I am proud to tell them I am an employee of Methodist Health System. Invariably, they will tell me how grateful they are for their physician or relay a story of a relative being well cared for while hospitalized. I always smile and tell them I am a big fan of Methodist, too!