Spotlight on NEO SSD Kenna Peterson, MSW, LSW
Spotlight on NEO SSD Kenna Peterson, MSW, LSW
Going Above and Beyond for Crossroads
Kenna Peterson, MSW, LSW began her career and spent many years working with children and families both in the state of Ohio social service system and for a private children’s services and foster care agency. She even worked briefly in a hospital emergency room.
Now she channels all of that experience on behalf of Crossroads in Northeast Ohio, which she joined nearly five years ago. As NEO Support Services Director (SSD,) she has firmly found her place at the top of a large organization that includes more than 30 social workers, chaplains, volunteer managers and bereavement coordinators.
“The SSD leads the teams who play a key role in ensuring the well-being of patients and their families by attending to their psychosocial needs,” Kenna explained. “Our support services are delivered while working closely with the clinical teams who are attending to a patient’s comfort and physical needs.”
Kenna said working at Crossroads is “very rewarding.” The population Crossroads serves is “more accepting of social work. Social work services are valued.”
It’s a Perfect Fit!
Being an SSD is a “perfect fit’ for Kenna because she can share what she’s learned through years of on-the-job experience while learning so much herself from her team every day.
Kenna said when you go into social work, it’s because you want to help people. Even at a young age she had a natural instinct for where help was needed. Kenna mentioned trying to help kids she knew were hungry by inviting them to her home for a meal.
What’s great about working at Crossroads is that “going above and beyond” for patients is part of the company culture, Kenna said. This is the opposite of working in the child welfare system where there are so many restrictions.
While Kenna is the leader of a very large team and she’s mostly based in the office, she never regrets finding herself filling in and performing one-on-one social work duties in the field. She loves that about her job. “I still get a chance to advocate for patients and families,” she said.
When Kenna’s not at work she enjoys spending time with her blended family of five kids, “he has three girls and I have two boys,” and 10 grandkids. She loves crafting and is currently crocheting a sweater when not riding her CAN-AM motorcycle.
Kenna’s career in social work began after completion of an associate’s degree in 1993. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 2012 and a master’s degree in 2021. It’s been a 27-year social work career, but Kenna’s journey is far from over. She still has so much to give and so much to learn. Crossroads is very lucky to have Kenna in the SSD role in NEO!
