Josselyn was founded by a woman and has a history of strong women leaders including current CEO & President Susan Resko. Approximately 85% of Josselyn’s staff identify as female, and this Women’s History Month, we feature three of them as we recognize the impact of women on mental health care.
Maria Jose Silos Suarez, LCPC, Therapist
María has been in the mental health field for a decade and serves as a Clinical Supervisor in our Grayslake office. “For me as a Mexican woman and immigrant, Women’s History Month is not a celebration, it is a time to honor those who came before us and to fight for those still silenced.”
In her clinical work, she has helped women who have survived abuse and hardships to find their voices and begin to reclaim their lives.
“Healing is more than just processing pain,” Silos Suárez notes. It is also “about recognizing strength, rebuilding trust, and knowing we are not alone. There is power in care, in listening, and in creating spaces where women feel safe and valued.”
As a therapist hearing about and witnessing the effect of systemic violence, oppression, and abuse on her clients, she says, “it can feel overwhelming at times.” She makes sure to prioritize her own well-being by keeping in touch with family, friends, and supportive community; using vacation days; immersing herself in art, music, theater, and podcasts; and practicing stretching and yoga.
Driven by a deep desire to care for and empower others and to be part of the solution rather than the problem, Silos Suárez feels that at Josselyn she has found a professional home that aligns with her values. She believes that Josselyn is “dedicated to breaking down the biases and barriers that often prevent women from accessing quality mental health services. At Josselyn, mental health is for all: para todos, todas y todes.”
Angelika Bochnak, Workforce Pipeline Coordinator, Therapist
Angelika began her career at Josselyn as a therapist and has since moved into a Human Resources role. Because of her background, she has a deep understanding of the challenges that our clinicians face. She has seen that “as women, we have learned to be ‘the fixers’ that society needs, which makes women great listeners, mentors, caretakers, and therapists, but it also makes us prone to taking on too much.”
She advises all women, whether or not they are in the caring professions, to attend to themselves in these ways:
- Schedule small breaks throughout the day
- Take your lunch away from your desk
- Respect your work hours
Prioritizing your own needs won’t guarantee that at some point, you may struggle with your own mental health. Bochnak initially entered the field because she saw that in her Polish community, there was a need for mental health support, but people were not aware of how to access it, or they perceived mental health as a taboo topic. She has seen a shift over time, and she appreciates that Josselyn helps make care accessible.
“With our various locations and virtual options, we are helping remove the barriers that prevent women from accessing care,” said Bochnak. “Additionally, our clinicians come from different backgrounds—age, race, nationality, gender, ability, etc.—which allows women to request to work with a therapist they can relate to and may better understand their story.”
Ami Campbell, Chief Growth Officer
Ami is Josselyn’s Chief Growth Officer, overseeing fundraising, marketing, and human resources. She has championed women leaders for more than thirty years, starting when she attended a women’s college. “After graduation, I entered the business world where only a quarter of my colleagues were women, which was also true when I pursued my MBA a few years later. I gravitated to women leaders wherever I was and sought out their guidance, and now I can pay that forward.”
With the vast majority of Josselyn staff being women, Campbell operates in a very different context than when she began her career; however, she still pays attention to the experience of women staffers. “Research continues to show that women are less likely to take on stretch projects or to apply for a job unless they think they meet every qualification,” she notes, “and part of my job is to create an environment where people feel confident and safe enough to take risks.”
The oldest of three sisters and the mother of two daughters, Campbell appreciates the emphasis on women during the month of March but believes women’s accomplishments need to be highlighted year-round. “As the saying goes, ‘if you can’t see it, you can’t be it.’ Women are doing amazing work in mental health and in all kinds of other industries,” she said. “Let’s make sure girls and young women these days are hearing about it.”
