​With the stress and strain from the ongoing pandemic, mental health services are needed now more than ever. The new Boys Town Behavioral Health Clinic in Grand Island, NE, led by Dr. Starling, is doing just that for the children and families in Central Nebraska communities.    

Dr. Starling, Director of Outpatient Behavioral Health for the Clinic, is a licensed psychologist with more than 12 years of experience working with children and families with a variety of challenges. Her doctorate is in clinical psychology with a concentration in neuropsychology.

We had a chance to visit with Dr. Starling about her role leading the new Clinic and some other aspects of her time at Boys Town.​

Q&A   

Day in the Life

“A day in the life at the Behavioral Health Clinic is ever changing. As the Clinic Director, I never know what I might be doing from day to day. The things I can count on is seeing children and their families and training interns. Both of these things are passions of mine and part of my favorite daily activities. Additionally, I can be found working with community members to decrease the stigma of mental health and increase access to care. Phone calls with primary care physicians, schools and other providers are part of the day-to-day activities, assuring continuity of care. Meetings with individuals on Boys Town's Home Campus and national Executive Directors around the country guarantees clients in Central Nebraska are receiving the same quality of service Boys Town is known for at the state and national level."       

Advice

“Boys Town is full of phenomenal resources. My advice is to get to know the people that are around you and reach out to those resources for assistance or advice. As a new Boys Town employee, I have not found anyone who isn't truly interested in helping as best they can. Whether it is how to find a resource or an expert in the field, you are surrounded by the best of the best. Don't be shy to reach out and ask for what you need." ​

Boys Town Is…

“Not just a place to work. Boys Town is a family. Once you become part of the family, your colleagues are no longer just 'people you work with.' They are individuals that become part of your lives, whether they are still a part of Boys Town or not. The COVID-19 pandemic is a good example of this. Boys Town made sure not only clients and families were taken care of but also their employees. As other companies made cuts, Boys Town pulled together and worked hard to make sure their employees were taken care of – mentally, physically and financially. Kudos to the Boys Town family for taking care of each other in such a trying year!" 

Favorite Memory

“My favorite memory would be moving into our new clinic. When I arrived in Nebraska in November 2018, I was the only provider in the Clinic. Thankfully, Boys Town approved interns to be in the Clinic and I began supervising them in August 2019. Over the past two years, we outgrew our old location of four offices and no storage and, in December 2020, moved into our new space of seven offices, two observation areas and a huge amount of storage! Come August 2021, we will have three interns, one post-doc, one part-time psychologist and two full-time supervising psychologists. Watching the Clinic grow to meet the mental health needs in the community has been amazing."

Challenges

“A challenge would be finding a good work-life balance. As the Clinic Director, I start early and work late. Part of that is my passion for the clients we serve. The other reason is there is more demand than our Clinic can keep up with. That is one reason I'm excited for our new psychologist to start in March. The challenge in Central Nebraska has been having enough providers for the caseload that has presented itself. We often have families waiting for services, as we have no space on our schedules and that is difficult for me. It hurts my heart to be unable to provide services within a week or two of their initial call. With the recent expansion and upcoming addition of providers, we are meeting this challenge head on and look forward to serving more families in a timely fashion."

Best Perk

“Having multiple roles in the Clinic, I identify my perks in two categories. The first is as a provider; the other is as a supervisor for my students. The best perk as a provider is having a child do well and be so proud of themselves that they cannot wait to tell you about it! It's the big hugs and proud parents. It's a family that thought life would "never get better" for them and then it does. Watching teenagers grow and develop interpersonal skills. There's just nothing better! As a supervising psychologist, I love being able to watch interns start with little to no experience and grow into a provider that can work independently and have the same feelings of pride when a family is successful. Training the next generation of psychologists, watching them develop and have the same feelings of pride working with a challenging family and having success…that's definitely a perk!"

Professional Development

“I've only worked with Boys Town for two years and half of that was during the pandemic! I have enjoyed being able to join Home Campus for ongoing trainings, both in person and virtually, in order to continue to grow professionally. Having access to experts in the field like Dr. Pat Friman and Dr. Connie Schnoes has been instrumental in my professional development, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to be around such brilliant minds."

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