Celebrating National Social Worker Month

March is National Social Worker Month, a time to recognize and honor the invaluable contributions of social workers in our communities. These dedicated professionals play a vital role in advocating for individuals and families, providing support during times of crisis, and promoting social justice and equality for all. Their compassion, empathy, and commitment to improving the lives of others make a profound impact every day. Let's take this opportunity to express our gratitude and appreciation for the remarkable work of social workers everywhere. We are very grateful for our team of Social Workers here at Kirby!

We took some time to get to know a few of our social workers and asked them a few questions. Let's get to know them!

Introduce yourself and how long you’ve been at Kirby.

Paul Saban, LSW – I’ve been with Kirby for two years.

What made you want to go into the mental health field, or why are you passionate about the field?

Growing up I had family-members with complex health needs – I didn’t have the language for this experience then, but retrospectively, I now find that I was admiring the men and women who I viewed as “helpers” for the adults in my life.

I quickly found I was working to ingratiate myself toward a healthcare field, quietly aspiring to be a person who too may do the work of helping individuals and families in similar ways that others had done for those closest to a younger-version-of-me.

Mental health care quickly became the field I was most drawn to – and I find it an honor to be trusted with the stories, experiences, and collaborative effort for growth and healing in the communities we serve.

What’s a fun fact about yourself or some hobbies that you have?

 I was born and raised in the Midwest and I don’t like Ranch.

Introduce yourself and how long you’ve been at Kirby.

Kristie Krigbaum and I’ve been at Kirby for two years.

What made you want to go into the mental health field, or why are you passionate about the field?

I always knew I wanted to be in the helping profession in some capacity and found that the field of social work was the best fit for me. Through my education and internship experiences, I found my passion for mental health treatment and prevention. I was drawn into mental health as it is something that impacts each and every one of us and it is both an honor and a privilege to support our patients on their healing journeys. Our mental health and physical health support and influence one another and an important piece of my approach to mental health care is working with each individual patient through a holistic lens.

What’s a fun fact about yourself or some hobbies that you have?

My go-to fun fact about myself is that I can say the alphabet backwards much faster than I can forwards!

Introduce yourself and how long you’ve been at Kirby.

Andrea Dunlap, LCSW. I have been at KMC for 1 year now

What made you want to go into the mental health field, or why are you passionate about the field?

My "why" is due to personal experience. My mother suffered from Mental Health illness pretty severely during my childhood, and this definitely had an impact on me as a person. I spent her the majority of her life wishing that I could just make her feel "better". I have always had a lot of compassion for all people and have been really inspired and intrigued by diverse minds, so when my middle son was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD, I then became an avid researcher and advocate for him on a regular basis. My experience with my son catapulted me into a career of Social Work focusing on children and families with both neurodiversity and mental health struggles and this is my passion. I enjoy working with all ages by my specialty is connecting and working with children.

What’s a fun fact about yourself or some hobbies that you have?

Fun fact about me is that I am also a Full-Time School Social Worker and a Portrait Photographer. I love the creative outlet that I get with photography and editing. I also love working at the school with all the amazing kids in our community and the passionate and hard-working staff that are incredible teammates.