Welcome to One Team, where we highlight standout members of Citizen Advocates’ 800-strong team, stretching from Lake Champlain to Lake Ontario.
Susan Moore started as a cosmetologist and later worked in schools. When a friend suggested a customer support role at Citizen Advocates’ Massena Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic, she’d never had an office job. Two years later, she’s the team lead.
Below is her story in her own words.
How has working at a behavioral health clinic changed your outlook on mental health and addiction issues?
I grew up in a military household where things were very black and white. Working here has shown me what was actually happening with some adults in my life when I was younger and why they were in those situations.
How does your role contribute to the clinic’s overall mission?
I’m biased, but customer support is so crucial to the function of the clinic. Our customer support representatives are the first faces a patient sees when they come in.
We schedule the appointments and make sure the patient’s chart information is accurate. If a phone number on a file is wrong, the patient isn’t going to get their appointment reminders and their telehealth link won’t work. If the insurance information is incorrect, we can’t bill for the appointment, which causes problems for our billing department. There are real implications—for certain patients, correct paperwork filed on time is what keeps them eligible for benefits and housing opportunities, out of jail, and hopefully on a positive path.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Fighting the stigma of mental health and addiction is so important. So many people struggle because they don’t get help.
I have a strong passion for what we do. Anything I can do to make someone’s life easier—that’s what I want to do. I have a job, I have support. Unfortunately, not all our patients have that. If I can be a friendly face and give them a moment of hope to get to the next day, that makes it all worth it.
Have there been times when you felt you made a significant impact on someone’s life?
I love the recovery stories. There’s one patient who I’m so proud of. They were missing appointments because they were using again and embarrassed about it. Then they broke up with their partner and came in so upset. No one else was available, so I went and talked to them, calmed them down until a therapist could come out. When the patient hit their 90 days of recovery, they came in and told me that if I hadn’t talked to them in the lobby, they wouldn’t be where they are today.
Working in this field can be demanding. How do you support your team in managing stress and maintaining their own mental health?
If someone’s feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, I’m happy to jump in and handle a situation that’s becoming too much. With phone calls and messages, it can be nonstop at the desk. Sometimes you just need to walk around the building.
I do weekly one-on-one check-ins with the members of my team to ask them what’s working, what’s not, what are you struggling with and what is your win for the week. If you keep that line of communication open and you know when a team member is struggling, you can work together to fix the issue.
How do you unwind after a challenging day?
I just keep going. [She laughs.] I have two kids in sports, my husband works full time and goes to college—we just have a busy life.
If you’re interested in learning more about a career at Citizen Advocates, including a job in customer support, visit citizenadvocates.net/careers.
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