Alumni Spotlight: Karen Gutierrez
Karen Gutierrez prides herself on her empathy and tendency to help others. This put her on a path toward social work, especially when she noticed the lack of resources when she was going to grade school in Liberal, Kansas.
Gutierrez, a recent graduate of the Master of Social Work program in the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, now serves the community she sought to help as a therapist at Genesis Family Health.
“I felt I wasn’t seeing enough mental health awareness, and I thought we could do better,” Gutierrez said. “That was part of why I wanted to do this. But it’s also needed in our area and our state.”
It wasn’t just intuition and empathy that prepared Gutierrez for her work providing behavioral healthcare to communities in western Kansas. She has a calming demeanor that’s noticeable through daily conversation. Her childhood friends noticed this, too.
“They were my first patients,” Gutierrez said with a smile. “I realized I can help with self-care, and I can separate what happens in therapy from the outside world. I have a non-judgmental way with people. I like to see the person for who they show me to be.”
Her path toward social work officially began when an instructor at Seward Community College suggested she look into the field. Gutierrez completed an undergraduate degree in social work at Washburn University. She ended up at the University of Kansas after a KU School of Social Welfare alumnus who was her BSW practicum advisor suggested the KU MSW program.
Gutierrez applied and was accepted to the Integrated Health Scholars Program, which aims to increase the supply of social workers providing behavioral healthcare services to rural Kansas communities. In Kansas, 96 of 105 counties are in a Health Professional Shortage Area for Mental Health, as designated by the Health Resources & Services Administration. IHSP trains KU MSW students living in rural Kansas to help reduce that shortage.
As part of the program, Gutierrez completed a clinical practicum at Genesis Family Health. She enjoyed the Integrated Health Scholars training, saying it was eye-opening to the different, unique needs people might have all across the state.
After graduation, Gutierrez joined Genesis Family Health as a full-time therapist, bringing her new advanced training to her goal of helping meet the needs of her home community.
Adaptability is a skill Gutierrez wants to continue evolving. She intends to get her clinical social work license and add a plethora of trainings and modalities that would help her gain knowledge and competency.
Ideally, she’d like to help young children as a therapist.
“Children and teens are misunderstood, and the most important years of our life are probably our first six,” Gutierrez said. “If we can work with them and everything they are trying to process, we can help them grow and be successful.”