Chelseá Jensen, Leading For Community Impact

Chelseá Jensen, Director of Mental Health, Good Samaritan Shelter Leading for Community Impact

It was a quarter-life crisis and a period of self-reflection that led Chelseá Jensen to leave her busy public relations job in Los Angeles and attend seminary school to study theology. Her graduate work focused on vulnerable communities recovering from extraordinary challenges such as abuse, addiction and human trafficking. Her passion for helping this population inspired her to pursue a second master’s degree in marriage and family therapy.

“I realized my goal in life was to be of service to others,” said Chelseá. “I’m motivated by doing work that I’m proud of and that makes someone else’s life better.”

She found that work at Good Samaritan Shelter, fresh out of grad school. That was eight years ago, and today Chelseá works as a clinical supervisor and director of the mental health department she was instrumental in developing. Part of her job is overseeing unlicensed therapists, guiding them through the same process she once navigated to attain full licensure.

Chelseá participated in Leading From Within’s Leading for Community Impact (LCI) in 2023 after Sylvia Barnard, Good Samaritan’s executive director, highly recommended the program. In fact, eight of the eleven members of Good Samaritan’s executive team have now completed, or are in process of completing, LCI.

“Leading for Community Impact really inspired me, opening a whole new way of thinking about leadership,” said Chelseá. She was so moved by the training that she wanted to share it with her many colleagues at Good Samaritan. The problem was that with over 400 employees and 90 programs it’s not feasible to have everyone experience Leading From Within’s full program.

So, she brought a version of the program to them, through her capstone project which was creating a mini-version of Leading for Community Impact.

“My capstone was a love letter to how LCI impacted my life,” she said. The abbreviated course is offered quarterly to over 75 program managers, with one full day devoted to leadership, management and administrative topics. Chelseá secured a small business grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation to start the program.

“I wanted to bring our program managers together to feel cared for and invested in, so that they felt empowered to continue building their career at Good Samaritan,” she explained. “It’s also a significant support, offering a sense of renewed purpose for these managers who are dealing with trauma every day.”

The lesson Chelseá most frequently applies from her own training is the adage, “Kind is clear, and clear is kind.” She states, “At LCI, I learned that giving and receiving honest feedback is the most valuable tool in any professional relationship.”

Chelseá also appreciated the opportunity to learn about herself and grow, both personally and professionally.

“Evolving and continuous learning is important to me to stay intrigued, curious and motivated,” she remarked. “I love learning about different topics and the safe space and time LCI affords for self-reflection was really helpful to me.”

Last, Chelsea credited the individual coaching she received.

“Danielle Quinones-Ortega and Christa Roth are two of the most important people in my life,” she said. “I value their mentorship and the experiences they brought to my life and continue to bring.”