Finding a career: Intake coordinator learns every day
Osman Kamara, an intake specialist at All Joshua has found a career that combines two of his longstanding interests: healthcare and psychology. Working at All Joshua, Kamara appreciates the fact that “the people here genuinely care about the clients, we know everyone by name and really want them to get better.” That’s not always the case at treatment centers, which sometimes see patients “as dollar signs,” says Kamara, who was a college biology major before “falling in love with the counseling field.”
“No matter what they have been through, people can still be helped and recover.” –Osman Kamara, All Joshua intake coordinator
On the job training On the job, he’s gained a better understanding of drug and alcohol addiction. “Before I came here I had a different perception of addiction, wondering how people could end up in that situation. But I realize that, no matter what they have been through, people can still be helped and recover.” Because of the denial that is part of the disease of addiction, clients aren’t always convinced that they need help, at least initially. But they can still be helped. “No matter who clients are or where they come from, all we ask is that they meet us halfway,” says Kamara, a native of the Glendale-Bowie area. “Everybody in the building tries their best to make sure that if you
are an addict, you get the help you need, medication and support. Some clients have said that the outpatient care here is like a home away from home.” As intake coordinator, he is one of the first staff people clients see when they arrive. He gives each one an intake packet and obtains their basic demographic information – health, family, employment and other relevant information, before a staff counselor does a more thorough evaluation. Kamara says he’s getting a valuable, on the job education watching counselors interacting with clients and conducting group therapy. “I’m constantly learning and getting advice from them.”
“I’m constantly learning and getting advice.” –Osman Kamara
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