Melissa O’Neill
Melissa O’Neill
Family Support Specialist – Kalispell
Since: 2015
Melissa graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Services. Her sister had previously worked for us and recommended she apply for an FSS position. Outside of a brief post-Covid stint as a preschool teacher (we love her so we let her go…and she came back to us!).
Favorite part: The incredible teamwork. I love that interaction with my colleagues in the office, and especially with my families in their homes.
Standout moment: There have been so many joyful moments, laughs, and tears, it is difficult to pick one. But I’ve had several little ones who were born into traumatic situations, and were later adopted by loving families as toddlers. One of my biggest joys is to see these children flourish in spite of the circumstances they were born into.
Little known fact: It is difficult for me to go home at night and stop thinking about my families. About the things they may be going through, the feelings they are feeling. I struggle to disconnect my brain to those emotions and I have to set pretty strict boundaries for myself and practice self-care often.
Favorite season: The short summers are always a nice little break, but WINTER! I enjoy the smell of the air and the look of nightfall after a fresh fallen snow, the sound of the snow crunching under my feet, and the cold air on my cheeks. And of course, SNOWBOARDING!