Karen Jepsen worked as a social worker at Journey Mental Health Center for 34 years. For the first 11 years she worked on the crisis phones in the Adult Emergency Services Unit, and the second part of her career was spent in the Youth Crisis in Emergency Services unit. Seven years ago the Adult and Youth Crisis units were combined, so at that point, she served both children, their families and adults. For the last twelve years Karen has done half time crisis work and also work consulting with foster parents in Dane County who provided homes for children with the highest needs in terms of mental health. She is a former teacher, a parent of two and grandmother of one. All of these experiences provide her with a wide range of stories to tell about her profession and the individuals she has known and served.
