Hiring Victoria as a mental health therapist in Addiction Services increased patient access and reduced wait times for adolescents needing a higher level of care due to substance use concerns.
A recent graduate of Kent State University’s master’s program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a new member of the Akron Children’s Addiction Services team, Victoria Falluco brings a passion for helping others and a personal connection to her role as a substance use and mental health therapist.
Victoria’s own experiences with bullying during her school years fueled her desire to become a mental health advocate.
“During my grade school and high school years, I was subjected to severe bullying which had a significant impact on my mental health,” she said. “Due to my own mental health experiences, I became an advocate for mental health.
“I wanted to do more than just fight the stigma surrounding mental health,” she added. “I wanted to provide people with hope, coping skills and other tools to help them overcome their mental health struggles.”
Victoria and her fiancé, Jared, have been together for 7 years. They will be married this October.
Victoria discovered Akron Children’s Career Launch program while searching for an internship for her master’s program.
“The flexibility to create my own schedule was crucial,” she said, highlighting the program’s work/school/life balance focus. “It’s very important to balance work and personal life. I make it a rule to not leave work until my notes are done for the day, so I don’t bring work home with me.”
According to Patrice Russell, director of workforce development, Victoria was hired as a mental health therapist counseling trainee in May 2023. She was already enrolled at Kent State and ready to begin her internship when she started Career Launch.
“Participants complete an intake call structured like an interview to join the program. Candidates are evaluated on several factors, including their understanding of our student expectations, their field and their desire and motivation to work in pediatrics,” said Patrice.
“Victoria received one of the highest overall scores we’ve ever had,” she added. “She has a passion for helping kiddos to overcome some of the same challenges she faced in her youth.”
Victoria was first hired as a mental health therapist counseling trainee in May 2023 while she was pursuing her master’s degree at Kent State University. Victoria participated in the hospital’s Career Launch program which helped cover her tuition and other related school expenses. She was hired on as a fulltime mental health therapist in Feb. 2024.
Victoria shared with Kaiya Watauchi, Career Launch program coordinator, her lifelong desire to work at Children’s and her family connection (her sister is a NICU nurse). She also shared that without Career Launch, she would have continued to need loans to fund her education.
“We’re so thrilled that she chose to join us, and she’s already having an impact in her new role,” said Patrice. “Victoria has been an advocate for the program, referring others and helping us build a robust pipeline of therapists to support the mental health needs of kids in our region.”
According to Victoria’s supervisor, Talia Brown, Victoria filled an imminent need in their department and opened access and reduced wait times for services.
“Hiring Victoria allowed Addiction Services to expand our intensive services program for adolescents needing a higher level of care due to substance use concerns,” she said. “This filled a much-needed gap within our department as well as in the community as substance use services for adolescents are very limited in Summit and surrounding counties.”
Victoria’s own experiences with bullying during her school years fueled her desire to become a mental health advocate. Her goal is to do more to fight the stigma of mental health and offer hope, coping skills and other tools to her patients.
“I love being able to become a source of support and provide patients with hope,” Victoria said.
Witnessing her patients overcome challenges and develop coping mechanisms brings her immense satisfaction.
“When I think of a job, I think of something you have to do. What makes this job different is that it’s something that I purposely chose to pursue,” said Victoria. “I don’t have to work here, but I wake up every day excited and happy to come to work.”
For those considering the Career Launch program, Victoria’s advice is clear: Just do it!
“Take the leap, embrace the support offered and prioritize self-care,” she said. “Remember, you cannot pour from an empty cup.”
Victoria said the support she received from both her supervisor and the Career Launch team throughout the program made the experience incredibly rewarding.
“They were always there to answer questions and offer guidance,” she said. “I don’t think I would have been as successful if I didn’t have their support.”
Now, she gets that same level of support from her team in Addiction Services.
“It would be impossible to do this job without the support of the other therapists on my team,” she said. “It’s amazing to know that we are all willing to help each other out whenever it is needed.”
Interested in working at Akron Children’s? Visit careers.akronchildrens.org. To learn more about Career Launch, click here.
