There are countless stories that live within our walls at CFCS, but not all of them come from the children and families we work with. Our employees – the social workers, case managers, interns, admins and directors who make our agency run smoothly – are the reason for our success as an organization. They also happen to be interesting people with quite a few good stories of their own!

Natalie at the Transition Day we co-hosted last year.

We’re highlighting the rich experiences and perspectives our staff bring to the office with a series on the blog called “Spotlights on CFCS”. We’re excited to start this series with a spotlight on our Developmental Disabilities Program staff, and today we’re celebrating Natalie Muchnick, DDP Case Manager.

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I am originally from St. Louis, Missouri. I received my Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Missouri Columbia. I moved to Boston shortly after graduating, because I really liked the city and wanted to get out of Missouri. Before CFCS, I was a mental health counselor at a residential treatment facility for young girls who were victims of trauma in Boston.

In my free time, I like to walk around the city and look at the architecture. I like to go to dance classes, and I love to read. I like to spend time with my friends.

How long have you worked at CFCS?

About a year and three months.

What does a typical day at the office look like for you?

I have no typical day. However, my day usually involves meeting with clients and their families, helping them to problem-solve issues, attending IEP meetings at their schools and speaking with collaterals over the phone and email. A collateral is someone who works or interacts with a client. A collateral could be a teacher, a medical provider, a therapist or a social worker, a DDS service coordinator, a relative or a family friend.

What’s the best part of your job?

Interacting with clients and their families.

What’s a challenge you’ve faced that you’ve overcome while at CFCS? How did you overcome it?

Assisting families with navigating public resources can be very frustrating, because the procedures and eligibility requirements can be convoluted and difficult to navigate. I want to be able to do everything for a family to help them, but that’s not realistic, so sometimes I have to prioritize ways that I can help. I try to focus on empowering my clients and their families, so they can advocate for their needs effectively.

What is something about your job that you would want everyone to know?

That for our clients, the main thing they’re looking for is just acceptance: for someone to sit down and listen to them, to really hear what they need and to care. It doesn’t take a lot of effort, but our clients have a huge amount of gratitude for that.