DSP Appreciation Week- Narcissa Davis

 

“I’m so glad I’m in this field. It helps me learn a lot.” – Narcissa Davis

If there is one word that describes Narcissa Davis, it is: Love. If you are lucky enough to have a conversation with her, you will hear a lot about the things she loves; her 8 month old daughter, her mother, and her best friend LaKiesha all make the list. Luckily for the mental health participants of AcessCNY, so does her job as a Direct Support Professional (DSP).

In her (roughly) two years with AccessCNY, Narcissa has worked diligently to help participants slowly work towards their goals. For example, she recently accompanied a group of participants on a trip to the beach. Quickly, Narcissa realized that one of the participants was not swimming, so she quietly pulled them aside to talk. Through this conversation, Narcissa discovered that the participant had never been swimming before… He/she wanted to join everyone else in the water, but were too afraid. Determined to not let the participant miss out on the full beach experience, Narcissa worked with the individual and encouraged them to slowly make their way into the water. By the end of the trip, everyone was having a great time swimming!

While the participants Narcissa works with are definitely empowered by her care, Narcissa insists that the benefits are not one sided. One of her favorite things about her job is the opportunity to constantly be learning new things. She loves the training opportunities available at AccessCNY and was particularly impacted by a training that placed staff members in the shoes of an individual with schizophrenia. Ultimately however, she says that she learns the most from working with AccessCNY residents. In her words, “they teach me so much.”

Thank you for all that you do Narcissa!