One family, two social workers, four decades providing vital care
Healthcare isn’t just about healing the body. Illness and hospitalization are life-changing and can lead to a range of needs – from emotional to financial.
That’s where social workers come in.
Social workers play a vital role in healthcare and are an important part of our care teams alongside doctors, nurses, and other professionals. Across M Health Fairview, they assist with everything from mental healthcare to screening potential living organ donors. Two M Health Fairview social workers with a special connection have contributed a combined 40 years of experience to our health system.
We sat down with Susan Kundel, MSW, LICSW and Jen Wiseman, MSW, LICSW during Social Work Month to learn more about the work they do for our patients and families – and how they started a family of their own.
What are your current roles within M Health Fairview?
Kundel: My primary focus is mental health. I’m a psychotherapist in our Adult Day Treatment Program and have been for the past 25 years, running group therapy sessions. Usually our clients have been hospitalized and need continued outpatient care, or they’re trying to prevent hospitalization for a mental health concern.
A lot of people come to the program following a severe depressive episode, or they’re dealing with suicidal thoughts. They may also have medical concerns or be struggling with substance use. We work with folks to deal with current symptoms and provide education and different skills to manage their symptoms long-term. The group setting helps folks not feel so alone. They support each other and get feedback.
Wiseman: I’ve been with M Health Fairview for 15 years. For the first seven years, I worked with seniors who were experiencing a mental health crisis. That role was all about helping patients and their families stabilize their mental health during an inpatient stay. Then I would work to connect them to community resources or ongoing therapy.
In 2013, I stepped into my current role in organ transplant. I now work as a living donor social worker and independent donor advocate for living kidney and liver donors at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center. I help evaluate donors from a psychological and social perspective to make sure they have the supports they need and are a good candidate to donate an organ. I follow those that go onto surgery, making sure they have adequate social support and financial resources, and that they’re mentally stable and well before and after transplant.
What is your educational and training background?
Wiseman: Both Susan and I are Licensed Independent Clinical Social Workers (LICSW). We both received a graduate degree in social work, and then went on to do over two years of supervised clinical work in order to become an LICSW. The focus for clinical social workers is typically mental health, and actually a large proportion of mental health providers in Minnesota are LICSWs.
Why did you want to work in a clinical setting?
Kundel: I always knew that I wanted to work in mental health. Working for a health system, we meet clients facing a wide range of issues and symptoms. They may have chronic pain or other concerns that are closely linked to their mental health. There’s always something to learn about how we can best help the client.
Wiseman: I knew that healthcare would be a good opportunity for me to both work in mental health and support a family down the line. I wanted the stability of working in a larger healthcare setting. In the organ transplant field, I feel incredibly privileged to be a part of my patients’ lives – to hear more about why they want to donate to a loved one or even a stranger. Because I work at an academic medical center, I’ve also had the opportunity to publish research alongside my colleagues and give presentations about financial burden for living organ donors.
Learn how you can make a difference with M Health Fairview.
Together, you’ve dedicated 40 years of care to patients at M Health Fairview. What has happened in your family life during that time?
Kundel: We started dating in 1998. We got married in 2002, but it wasn’t legally recognized at the time. We were able to have our legalized marriage on our anniversary in 2013.
Wiseman: Our son, Alex, was born in 2006 and he’ll turn 16 this spring. I can always tell how long I’ve worked at M Health Fairview because I started the same year he was born.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know during National Social Work Month?
Wiseman: Social work is a really broad field, even within our health system. It’s also critical in healthcare. Ideally, we’re focused on prevention – on supporting people in order to prevent mental health and other crises before they happen.
