‘Lives Worth Living’

The superintendent of the North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown works to improve the quality of life for people who have experienced trauma, have mental illnesses or suffer from chemical dependency

BY KAYLA PRASEK

Rosalie Etherington is a staunch advocate for mental health, and has spent her career helping those who have experienced trauma live well-rounded lives. But her work in the mental health field doesn’t stop there — she is also helping push mental wellness into the mainstream.Etherington, superintendent of the North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown, identified her desired career path as psychology in sixth grade. She graduated from Minot (N.D.) State University with a degree in psychology and then went to work for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. After working at various federal prisons around the country, she ended up in Los Angeles, where she attended the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology with a concentration on program development.

From there, Etherington started working in community mental health, before landing in Jamestown at the State Hospital. There she worked in various roles, including as a psychologist and clinical director, for 20 years, before being named superintendent in May 2015. In October 2015, she added chief clinics officer to her duties, providing leadership to North Dakota’s Department of Human Services’ eight regional health service centers.

“From very early on, I saw myself as a helper,” Etherington says. “People would confide in me. Originally, I thought I would go into program development, but in graduate school, I was drawn to those who had experienced trauma.”

As superintendent of the State Hospital, Etherington says her role is to “carry out the duties and mission of treating those individuals who cannot be treated in their home communities.” The hospital provides services for the severely mentally ill and chemically dependent as well as a residential treatment center for the sexually dangerous and residential addiction treatment for those referred to its on-site

Tompkins Rehabilitation and Corrections Center by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

As chief clinics officer, Etherington oversees the state’s human service centers in Bismarck, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot and Williston. The centers specialize in treating adults and children who are affected by mental illness and addiction. The centers also serve as behavioral health emergency services.

“All of us seek a certain type of mental wellness,” Etherington says. “Health embodies that whole well-being. I feel strongly that those who have experienced trauma deserve to experience life, and my career has gone to helping them develop lives worth living.”

Mental illnesses account for half of the top diseases, which, Etherington says, was not the way it was 20 years ago at the beginning of her career. “We were forced to look at why it seemed like the number of people with mental illnesses was increasing. Twenty years ago, a lot of people were not getting the treatment they needed. This is an exciting time as more people take charge of their mental health.”

Throughout her career, Etherington has watched the field change for the better. “The mental health field is behind general health care, especially in identifying the best pathway to help people get well,” she says. “Genetic testing has emerged as a way to see how a patient will respond to a certain treatment, which will help our field tremendously. Sometimes it seems like you’re throwing things at a wall and hoping something will stick.”

As she looks to the future, Etherington is hopeful general health and mental health will become entwined. “When I look at the science and where it’s advancing, I’m excited. I hope (mental health) will be integrated with general health, which would bring it out of the shadows and help eliminate the stigma. I also hope that integration will bring the science further, and I hope it means we will have parity with medical care so people won’t be bankrupt seeking the care they need. I also hope the science will advance our treatment and recovery options.”

Etherington hopes to continue to see change in the stigma attached to mental illness. “We don’t talk about it, and we don’t seek help as early as we should,” she says. “We need to talk more openly about it and do more education. We can start by educating primary care providers because mental illness often goes undertreated. The sooner we can get someone on the right treatment, the better.”

Etherington offered advice to her fellow mental health providers. “Take care of yourself. This is a demanding field, and there is a certain potential for trauma in what you experience. Secondary trauma, in time, will develop for you if you don’t take care of yourself.”

She also says it’s important that everyone find balance between work and life. “Some of our careers are very challenging. We can spend hours expending mental energy and leave every day feeling exhausted. Exercise and peace are the best ways to recharge. You need to find your own personal peace, whether it be prayer, meditation, reading or a certain type of socialization. Know yourself to find that balance.” PB

Kayla Prasek Staff Writer, Prairie Business 701.780.1187 kprasek@prairiebusinessmagazine.com