HelloHealth Team Member Spotlight—Jenay Hicks
To meet Jenay Hicks, MS, NCC, is to encounter one of the most authentic, energetic, passionate, accepting people you’ll ever know. It’s why we were so excited when she chose to join the HelloHealth team, first as a contracted therapist in January 2021, which quickly became a full-time position as one of our therapists and workshop facilitators. Ms. Hicks began her professional career in graduate medical education at Morehouse School of Medicine where she led the resident and fellowship program. After more than a decade at Morehouse, Ms. Hicks finished her time in administration as the Associate Director of Graduate Medical Education. In 2020, she transitioned to Morehouse’s counseling services as the Assistant Director of Counseling Services and Resident Wellbeing.
During her journey, Ms. Hicks attended Mercer University where she met and quickly became connected to HelloHealth Chief Operations Officer Meagan Davies. When HelloHealth was looking for a contract therapist, Ms. Hicks was an obvious choice, not only because of her friendship with Meagan Davies, but also because of her passion for creating sustainable health and wellness systems that eradicate stigma and provide real coping techniques and capacity building to allow others to navigate stress, anxiety, depression, and other maladaptive behavior patterns successfully.
Over the course of her first year with HelloHealth, Ms. Hicks has become one of its staunchest advocates and exudes enthusiasm for providing individualized approaches to caring for the minds and health of those she works with. “There’s nothing better than my connection with my clients,” she says. “When I can see in their eyes that I am no longer a stranger and that they trust me on their journey, it’s a gift and I do not take it for granted. The connection I create with these brilliant humans is invaluable to me.” Her clients “humble her,” she states emphatically. “It’s my job to create community and connection, and in order to do that there has to be a higher level of cultural competence. When I look across at a client and we talk through where we’re each coming from, that is humbling. There’s no other word for it. When you put another person first, make them your sole focus, it’s truly humbling.”
“We need healthier professionals,” Ms. Hicks says. “We need everybody to show up being the best version of themselves. So, we have to provide a space for them to address trauma, to not have to worry about dual roles or competing priorities. To be able to lay down their burden and say, ‘What I do is hard, it’s tiring, but I’m still a good person even though I think this.’ Creating that safe space where they don’t have to feel guilty. I guarantee they’re going to be better in everything they do if you give them that space.” The HelloHealth system is the perfect way to do that, in her opinion. The approach is working, and Ms. Hicks’ enthusiasm and absolute belief that this is where health care needs to go are palpable. When you hear her talk about HelloHealth with her trademark passion, that excitement rubs off. “My dream is for the HelloHealth system to be incorporated to the point that it’s no longer a dream to have someone prioritize your well-being,” she says. “Everyone should have access to that.”
In her opinion, the way to go about doing that is to continue to chip away at the stigmas and stereotypes of what therapy is. She argues that therapy should be accessible and relatable. “It’s about allowing you a space to just be. We use science to mitigate stress, anxiety, depression, and it’s my job to take that journey with you, to provide you with the tools that are right for you. Obviously,” she says with a laugh, “I get into this. It’s my thing!”
She also says that therapy is a dialogue. “I’ve lived,” she says. “I’ve battled the same maladaptive behaviors, so I come from a place of experience. I’m my first client always. I never introduce a therapeutic intervention I haven’t tried on myself.” Her firm belief is that she’s on the journey right alongside her clients, as individual and unique as each journey is. Finding the right coping techniques, the correct behavior modification practices for each client, is critical to overall well-being, and if your mental and emotional health are good, then your physical health benefits.
This mindset, which is at the heart of the HelloHealth model, is something Ms. Hicks wants to see go national. “I want to take this show on the road,” she says, “because everybody deserves to live in a world where prioritizing yourself is not a revolutionary act but a necessary component of health care. We’re going to change the world, and I’ll be there on the front line. I can’t wait!”
Want to learn more or have a chance to connect with Jenay Hicks? Consider signing up for one of her workshops and learning how you can benefit from the HelloHealth system.