Congratulations to Amber Pfeiffer, the recipient of the June Staff on the Rise recognition! Amber is the Progressive Steps Apartment Program (PSAP) Senior Counselor and possesses the qualities of a Staff on the Rise: an exemplary work ethic, excels on the job, a team player, and an inspiration to others. Her coworkers, who nominated her for this recognition, confirm this and add that she is a pleasure to work with.
“Amber exemplifies the qualities we consider essential in an employee. Amber is compassionate, creative, and organized.”
Amber has worked at PSAP for a little over two years. She started as an Apartment Counselor and, when the opportunity became available, she moved into the Senior Counselor position. Amber’s responsibilities include supervising two Apartment Counselors and being the primary counselor for two to three PSAP participants. “I enjoy being a primary counselor and working the participants,” Amber says. Her other duties as the Senior Counselor include planning recreational activities, managing the Utilization Review calendar, keeping track of the PSAP vehicle logs, and overseeing the quality assurance reviews of the participants’ charts and electronic health records.
Matt Durham, PSAP Program Director says, “Amber is a valued member of the PSAP team. She exemplifies the qualities we consider essential in an employee. Amber is compassionate, creative, and organized. She is always willing to take on additional responsibilities within the program and does so with enthusiasm and positivity.”
“I wanted to work with people to help them understand their behavior.”
It was while she was obtaining her bachelor’s degree in psychology that Amber became interested in working in the mental health field. “While I was in my introduction to psychology class I learned about the different sides of the brain and became intrigued about how the brain works,” Amber explains. “I wanted to work with people to help them understand their behavior.” She uses this understanding of people’s behavior while working with the PSAP participants. “I was awed and humbled when a resident told me I saved him from self-harm,” Amber shares.
Amber also uses her skills to assist PSAP participants attain their goals and objectives as they work toward independent living. “I enjoy their excitement when they finish our program and are ready to move back into in the community,” she shares. Matt praises Amber for her work, “She is inspiring to participants, motivating them to make the most of their experience in PSAP.”
“I enjoy coming to work at RISE,” Amber affirms. “The environment is very stable, and even when the work is stressful, it is an enjoyable place to work because the good support system in PSAP. My co-workers are great. They all have the compassion and empathy necessary for this line of work.” Her coworkers feel the same about her. “Amber is a team player and offers her assistance when needed,” says Jessica Rounds, PSAP Counselor. “She always strives to be her best self and she only wants the best for fellow coworkers. She brings her sense of humor and jokes at a time when things may be a little hectic and comic relief is needed.”
“I was raised with a farming work ethic,” Amber shares. “My dad was a farmer and he took great pride in his work.” As a teenager and young adult, Amber worked at BJ Farms, a local family-owned farm in Greenwich, where hard work and dedication to excellence was the norm. “I brought that type of work ethic with me into my work at PSAP,” she explains. “In turn,” she shares, “my job working with the PSAP participants has helped me be more empathetic to other people outside of work.”
Amber is a new mom of a 10-month-old baby boy. She and her son’s father have been together for 10 years and have recently bought a home. Together they enjoy going for walks, riding bikes, camping, and playing with their new puppy. To help her de-stress from her job, she enjoys doing arts and crafts and is looking forward to doing them with her son as he gets older.
RISE Administration is appreciative of Amber’s hard work and dedication. Please join us in congratulating her for being the recipient of the June Staff on the Rise recognition.