New Child and Family Services director’s own experiences inspired career path

Being a kid can be tough.

Stephen O’Neill knows from personal experience.

O’Neill’s struggles growing up and the help he received not only shaped the person he is today but inspired him to pursue a career where he could help children and families.

That career path brought him to the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, where O’Neill is the new director of Child and Family Services. He began his duties June 11.

“This just felt like a really good fit for me,” O’Neill said. “It felt really natural. I really connected with the other directors.”

From the time he was 5 until the age of 19, O’Neill received therapy services for a variety of challenges.

“I remember being sad or angry most of the time and not knowing why,” he said. “Academically, I was a pretty bright kid, but I was constantly in trouble. There were two therapists who were critical in my recovery.”

O’Neill’s brother also faced mental health challenges growing up, and continued to struggle as an adult.

“My brother, despite receiving a lot of treatment, eventually he took his own life last summer due to his lifelong struggle with addiction and depression,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill credits the help he received growing up with giving him the tools to become a healthy, happy adult.

“The treatment I received helped by encouraging me to think differently about myself and my family and the power I could have over influencing my own life,” he said. “I realized the importance of self-care, and I learned that there were smart, caring adults who were willing to invest in me.”

O’Neill’s experiences swayed his decision to pursue a career in behavioral health, so he could help others the way he was helped.

“My own background influenced me going into this work,” said O’Neill, who has a master’s degree in social work and business administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a bachelor of science in sociology from Nebraska Wesleyan University. “I knew that I wanted to change the way children received services, so that they could get the right help at the right time. And I wanted to make sure children were receiving treatment that worked, based on clinical evidence, and that children had a voice in their care.”

O’Neill has spent his career helping children and families. Most recently, he was chief program officer for Cornerstones of Care, a nonprofit organization that provides behavioral health services for children and families in Kansas and Missouri. He oversaw a broad array of social service and behavioral healthcare services, including outpatient behavioral health, foster and adoption services and integrated healthcare.

Amy Warren, Bert Nash chief operating officer, said, “Stephen will not only be a great addition to the Bert Nash team, but will serve to complement the rest of the stellar Child and Family Services program and further enhance the Center’s commitment to our core values of compassion, integrity and equity.”

When O’Neill’s wife, Beth, accepted a position as a professor of social work at Washburn University, he started looking for work in Lawrence or Topeka. The couple has three children: 10, 9 and 7.

“I really liked my current job. Nothing piqued my interest until I saw the post for Bert Nash,” O’Neill said. “I thought this would be something that fits with my background and would work well with my skillset.”

He knew of the Bert Nash Center by reputation.

“I had heard really good things about Bert Nash,” O’Neill said. “I heard it was a really progressive mental health center. I felt like my passion for children, for families, for behavioral health services, and what I heard about Bert Nash, would really line up. The care and concern that they put into finding the next director of Child and Family Services was really impressive to me. I was inspired by their passion for the work they are doing.”