Q&A with i360 Austin’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Devine
Q: Why did you choose to work in the mental health field?
A: I was somewhat bred for it. My family consisted of wonderful and loving people with a healthy dose of substance use and mental health disorders. When I got over all those classic issues of thinking my value was in saving everyone, I was fortunate to find I still had an innate curiosity and desire to hear people share their stories. I find an incredible sense of fulfillment in accompanying and empowering people to heal and grow, both our clients and the staff. It is an honor and privilege to do this work.
Q: What do you enjoy about being the Executive Director of Innovation360?
A: I appreciate our ability to engage with clients in really non-traditional ways. Everything we do with clients on Life Development sessions is done with a great deal of intention and mindfulness in collaboration with the clinical team and a client’s treatment goals.
Having been in the field for a while, I feel spoiled that I can utilize information from the Life Development (LD) Team on how clients are showing up in their everyday life. LD team members can actually experience the awkwardness of conversations with strangers, feel the seclusion of a client’s apartment, experience the apprehension of dealing with trauma in public, and they run alongside people wanting to figuratively (or literally) escape from their problem. That work is an incredible and invaluable contribution to the therapeutic process.
Q: What would you say about the people who work at Innovation360?
A: The i360 model lends itself to a great deal of freedom, but that freedom comes with great responsibility. Our engagement with clients necessitates and fosters rich ideas and discussions among the team, a perfect cauldron for growth and improvement. I really do love the people that make up i360. They are some of the most diverse and wonderful personalities, full of commitment, integrity, grit and wisdom. They also really help me remember to laugh, all the time.
Q: What does growth look like for Innovation360?
A: I think that’s a simple answer- a steady and constant increase in the number of individuals and families we serve and the entities we partner with.
Innovation360 relies on building relationships with the highest quality mental health professionals and organizations. We want desperately to connect our clients with the resources they need and then partner with those service providers, keeping everyone in regular communication and working towards the same goals.
We have some great collaborative relationships with psychiatrists and nurse practitioners, psychologists, therapists, sober home managers, IOP programs and residential treatment facilities. Our partners recognize the value of our wrap-around, therapeutic case management, work with the family system and support of clients in their everyday life.
Our hope is that more and more people find the value in what we do and give us the opportunity to help.
Read more about Elizabeth and her role at i360 Austin here.
