I got to sit down with the face of Behavioral ONE, our awesome Office Administrator, Illena Coley, for a one-on-one interview highlighting her views and experience. Check it out:
All About Illena
“Tell me about yourself.”
Illena enjoys a home life that includes a wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters. She is 44 and has spent her career serving and educating children. Her favorite job was as a Pre-K teacher, as she says, “I was their first experience at school, and I always wanted that to be enjoyable, so that the kids could love school.”
“List 5 words that describe your character.”
“Helpful, humble, compassionate, flexible, and confident,” Illena states with ease. All these qualities are absolutely essential in her position at Behavioral ONE.
“What is the top item on your bucket list?”
“It’s not to go anywhere or do anything. It’s just, ‘live life to the fullest.’”
Behavioral ONE Talk
“Walk me through your typical day at Behavioral ONE.”
Illena gives a hearty laugh, and starts with, “It should be like this…” She continues by explaining that after she arrives at work, her job requires taking time to go through who needs to be contacted and what emails need to be sent and making a list to prepare herself for the day. Her next duties include answering the phone, catching up on emails, and speaking with parents. One of her most important tasks is to take time to greet our clients every morning. This helps her to know and understand each client better. It would be folly to neglect to say that Illena also ensures that she is available to the BCBAs, the RBTs, and to Billy, Behavioral ONE’s Director of Clinical Services, for support. Her initial response begs the question, “Okay… So, what does the typical day normally end up looking like?” Another uninhibited laugh breaks through and she says, “You never know… That’s why I have to be flexible.”
“What makes Behavioral ONE a great place to work?”
“What we do. I feel like what we do every day and what we put into the kids right now is forever.” It is a critical aspect of our work that we are positive and loving to our clients, and Illena exudes these qualities. She states that Behavioral ONE is also a wonderful place to work because we are not micromanaged. “We are not put inside a box. We don’t all look alike and think alike… We are able to be free, just like the kids are able to be free and be themselves.” It’s just like Illena to bring the answer back around to our clients. They are truly what makes Behavioral ONE the place to be.
“What do you believe is the most important thing for people to know about Behavioral ONE?”
“We set ourselves apart from other ABA clinics,” she simply states. We have our own unique approaches from the way that we do enrollment to the way we create and implement treatment plans that produce positive results for our clients.
“Where do you see this company in 5 years?”
“I see us bigger in 5 years because of what we do and the results we give. I see us bigger and maybe having more than one location.”
“What traits do you think are essential to those working in the field of ABA?”
“First of all, you have to be hardworking and dependable because when the parents bring their kids to us, they depend on their therapist being able to be here to see them.” In ABA therapy, the bond that a therapist has with their client is crucial to the client’s progress. A therapist who is not only dependable, but who has a love of children and a desire to see them advance is essential according to Illena. I’m fairly confident that the whole Behavioral ONE family approves of this theory.
“When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? And how do you think this translates into your position at Behavioral ONE? “When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? And how do you think this translates into your position at Behavioral ONE?”
Illena states that she wanted to be a principal growing up. “I had a principal that was very open—her door was always open to us. She was fun. She was loving, but we knew when she meant business.” Illena elaborates by describing the exceptional confidence this principal displayed and how the power of that confidence exuded itself onto the younger, more impressionable Illena. Being the first face that most people come into contact with at Behavioral ONE, this gained confidence is quite important to Illena’s position. Anyone who operates at her level needs to know policies and procedures. They need to understand the values the company stands for. A parent who calls, not knowing what their next steps need to be, relies on this confidence.
Just for Fun
“If you could have lunch with any historical figure, who would it be and why?”
This is the only question that I receive true hesitation on. After many moments of thought, she says, “The Obamas.” She explains that she would like insight into how they looked at the world, what it was like to make decisions for an entire country of such diverse people, and how their own history affected their decisions. “In the back of their minds, did they think about our history, as African American people, when they made decisions?”
“If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?”
I think that all Office Administrators will definitely feel this one. “To make people disappear…. and to reappear…. but in certain situations, just to make them disappear.”
Reflection
We tend to forget that our awesome Office Administrator has her own task load that needs to be completed as we waltz into her office for every little whim. Illena catches all the chaos in style, though. We could not ask for a more passionate person about her job, especially one who accomplishes it with such grace and compassion. Thank you, Illena.
