Katie Cahnmann

Changing the World One Child at a Time

 

Growing up in a tumultuous household with little supervision forced me to become independent at an early age. My upbringing also helped me realize how important it is for young people to have love, support, and guidance. And though it took me some time to figure our my career path, I know without question, I was meant to be a mentor and an educator to youth and young adults. Over the last two decades, I have dedicated my career to giving back and making a difference in the world one child at a time. 

 

When I look back over the last twenty years since I began my career in the field of social work, my mind becomes flooded with memories both good and bad. Regardless, there is no question the good memories definitely outweigh the bad. My passion, dedication, and determination to encourage and empower younger generations have been evident time and time again. Though the work can be challenging and at times even heartbreaking, it also has its bright and shining moments.

 

My first experience working with youth in a mentoring capacity was while I was an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois. I volunteered for three different organizations - a program that provided art education for elementary students, another program where I served as a youth mentor to students attending a therapeutic day school, and the final position involved answering calls for a crisis hotline. 

 

Each volunteer position had its challenges and there were often times I felt I wasn't having enough of a positive impact, especially with the kids at the therapeutic day school. As each day passed, the kids didn't seem to be making any progress but on our final day of the program, the students spoke about their experiences working with us and what a difference we made in their lives even though it didn't seem like it. It was in that moment I realized though I may never see the impact I am making on other’s lives I am indeed helping and having a positive effect.​ This newfound knowledge gave me the confidence I needed to push forth in my career even during the most difficult times. Since then I’ve had many shining moments and career highlights.

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Current Work 

Since April 2018 I've been employed by AARP working for their foundation as a School Partnership Manager and Community Engagement Specialist for Experience Corps (EC). EC is a volunteer literacy program pairing elder tutors (55+) with K-3 graders reading below grade level. I oversee program implementation at several schools throughout the city of Chicago. We work with several neighborhoods including Englewood, Bronzeville, North Lawndale, Logan Square, Ravenswood, Wicker Park, and more. Our goal is to ensure students are reading at grade level before or by the time they reach 3rd grade. Due to the pandemic, we have pivoted to a virtual tutoring model assisting students via Zoom and Google Meet. 

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Current Passion

I've been fortunate to experience a variety of engaging, empowering, and impactful professional roles throughout my career. There has been one theme that has been highlighted in every position which is improving the quality of life for others and helping others recognize their strengths, express their authenticity, and find their purpose. I desire to create an organization that delivers a comprehensive well-being program focused on emotional, physical, social, and financial wellness. 

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Working in the Youth Detention Centers in Georgia

 

When I was applying to graduate school I knew ultimately I wanted to provide direct client support to at-risk youth. I applied to a few school but my heart was set on the University of Georgia so I could work in their Juvenile Counseling and Assessment Program (JCAP). I was ecstatic when my acceptance letter arrived in the mail and I could not wait to pack up my bags and move to Athens, Georgia! Aside from taking courses full-time, I would also be an intern providing counseling to juveniles who were either being detained at the local youth detention center or were on probation and counseling was a requirement.

 

I distinctly remember two of my clients at the youth detention center. One was a young 12-year-old male locked up in the youth detention center who loved to draw and had fond memories of eating ice cream with his grandpa at a local mart. We often communicated through art and over time he began to open up and blossom. Towards the end of our counseling relationship, I brought him ice cream from the place he remembered so fondly and he was beyond grateful. He appreciated the thought and was surprised I remembered that conversation. He was even more surprised I was able to find a way to bring him some ice cream. I know that small gesture touched his heart and made him feel heard. Our therapeutic relationship continued to grow stronger and as our sessions progressed, the young man began to improve. 

 

There was another young male, about 16 years old, who was being detained for a certain period of time. Actually, he had been locked up multiple times. He would be released only to get locked up again. No one wanted to work with him because they didn't think they could help him but I always jumped at a challenge and decided to add him to my client list. At first, he wanted nothing to do with me. As time went on and I used some of my creative counseling strategies and he began to come around. He loved music – listening to it and writing it so I asked him to give me a list of songs that he felt a connection to or related to in some way. I downloaded all of them to a CD and we listened to each song during our next couple of sessions. After we listened to each song, I asked him to share the reasons why he chose each song and the significance the lyrics had on his life. To complete the project, I asked him to design the CD cover and write his own song to add to the inside of the case. Though he had a long way to go it was touching to see him begin to knock down some of the walls he had been building up for some time and begin to open up.

 

Providing In-Home Therapy to Families in Need

 

After graduating with my master's degree, I took a position as a Family Centered Specialist at the Institute for Family Centered Services. I was assigned a caseload of clients that I had to work within their homes. I would complete full assessments and create intervention plans. I was assigned to work with this one family whose daughter struggled with bi-polar and her mood changes became so rampant that the family was at odds with each other. They argued daily and tension in the home was so high. I wanted to help them come together and work as a team again. I knew they were all into sports and quite athletic so I used a game of family football to show them the importance of teamwork and how they needed to learn how to communicate better and work together. The daughter who never seemed pleased by my visits came to me after the game and basically said she had no idea counseling could be so fun. After that experience, she began to trust me and slowly open up.

 

I was assigned to another family with a serious case of domestic violence. When I first went into the home the father

(the suspect) didn’t want me around but they had court-mandated counseling and I had to find a way to work with the family. I spent several hours with this family a couple days a week. They had two beautiful daughters and we all became very close. I was kind and patient and withheld my judgment in their presence. It was a long road but I used my therapeutic skills to support the family. After a couple months working with the family, fear had dissipated and trust had begun to be built. The family decided to move back to their hometown out-of- state and seriously asked me to move with them as they didn’t want to sever the relationship we had built.

 

Another family was added to my caseload where the mother was being threatened with eviction and having her two

children taken from her if she didn’t get her house in order. When I arrived at the house there was barely enough space for me to walk in the door and make it a few feet ahead to the kitchen table. There was clutter everywhere! The family was overwhelmed and had no clue what to do. I sat down with them to strategize creating short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals with small steps to reach each of them. The big goal was to get the whole house clean but had we started there they would have failed because it would have been too much to handle. So we started with a short-term goal of cleaning the bathroom – getting any clothes and towels off the floor, throwing out any garbage including empty bottles of shampoo and so on, scrubbing, vacuuming, etc. until it was clean and the family felt a sense of accomplishment. We started tackling the house one room and one visit at a time. When they saw progress they were motivated to continue until they accomplished their long-term goal of getting the entire house in order.

 

And the final family that comes to mind was a family of five – mom and dad, two daughters, and a son. The youngest daughter was getting into a lot of trouble and had some run-ins with the law. The juvenile court required that the family participate in family counseling. That’s where I came in. The court was paying for 6 weeks of counseling, 2-3 days per week, and 1 hour each visit. Once the 6 weeks concluded the family returned to court and the court was pleased with their progress but felt the family needed to continue with counseling. Only this time the court was not paying. The family loved working with me so much that they called my company and asked if they could pay out of pocket for me to continue working with them which had never happened in the history of the company. That definitely made me feel great. A couple years after discontinuing services with this family my sister reached out to me saying she received an email from someone trying to contact me and saw we had the same last. It had been that family. Their older daughter was in college studying psychology and wanted to interview me for a class assignment. Again, I was honored.

 

Providing Crisis Counseling to Hurricane Katrina Survivors

 

Probably my most memorable experiences in the field of social work are from when I was living in Atlanta and Hurricane Katrina had struck near New Orleans. Several survivors relocated to Georgia and were set-up in hotels, shelters, and hospitals. The company I was doing in-home family therapy for had just closed down due to lack of funding and I was looking for work. It was the perfect opportunity to utilize my counseling skills. I had gotten into this field to make a difference and this was the chance to really help some people in need. I traveled all over the Atlanta area meeting individuals and families wherever they were placed. Each time I met with a client they would share their horror story and the devastation they witnessed and felt during and in the aftermath of the hurricane. It brought tears every time but there were two individuals that touched me more than any others.

 

There was a young girl brought to one of the city hospitals. She had no idea where her family was or if they were even

alive. She was young and scared and had no one and no place to go. My partner and I worked so hard on finding her

needed resources but we wanted to make sure she had at least the essentials to survive this horrific event. Another elderly woman really pulled at my heart strings. She was suffering from depression prior to the hurricane wreckage and had thought about ending her life. Then her town was completely destroyed and there was a part of her that wished she had been destroyed with it. Again my partner and I spent many hours working with her trying to help her find the light. We listened with open and nonjudgmental ears as she shared her stories. At the beginning of the session, we asked her to look into a mirror and tell us what she saw but she truly couldn’t even look at herself. We tried again towards the end and told her a few of the things we saw in her in our short time conversing. She was brave and courageous and beautiful. Having someone to listen and hearing others speak highly of her gave her just enough confidence that she was able to pick up the mirror and finally face her own reflection. It was one of the most powerful moments I’ve had throughout my entire career. It was during this time though that I learned some of the most valuable lessons in life, most importantly to value life.

 

Working in the Chicago Public School System

 

I’ve been working as a school counselor in Chicago for the last decade with elementary, middle school, and high school students. Some of my favorite experiences here have been during programs and activities I’ve started/created. I used to write a grant for a summer program where I would take kids all over the city and sometimes out into the suburbs to engage in experiences foreign to them – yoga, horseback riding, boating, fairs, and festivals, and so much more. It was during these outings and moments where I saw some of my students really blossom. And it touched me even deeper when some of them started venturing out on their own and even obtaining jobs at some of the places we visited. Those summers enriched the kids’ lives in so many ways.

 

My annual Sleepover for Success is one of my most cherished creations. It’s a lock-in I organized for the girls of

ACE Tech Charter High School where we would spend the night at the school and engage in both fun and educational activities all night that included guest speakers and workshops. It’s an opportunity to build camaraderie, character, and self-esteem and the girls looked forward to the event every year.

 

The Big Picture

 

No matter where I’ve worked in the past providing social services I always leave with so many great memories and accomplishments. I have been touched by my clients’ lives and empowered to continue doing what I do. There is no question that I have an unrelenting passion for what I do and there is no greater feeling in the world than the feeling of knowing you are positively impacting lives!