A long-serving DeKalb Mental Health Counselor Kay Quintero said that the best part of her career was the people.
Quintero recently retired after 13 years at Haven of Hope in Smithville. She said that it’s her desire to help people that had kept her going in her career so long.
“We did not have a mental health center in Smithville, DeKalb County,” Quintero said. “And being able to maintain this and keep this going as God brought other people into our agency to serve and carry it on. I just had a desire to have the help that is needed in our county.”
Quintero said that despite her retirement, she plans to help out the ministry division of Haven of Hope. She said that she wants to continue to help others, just in a different capacity.
Quintero got her start by graduating with a degree in social work. She said that after working with the Department of Human Services for 11 years, she decided to go get her master’s degree to gain even more knowledge of how to help people. While she loved working with both adults and children, it’s one child client that stands out to her.
“(She) took Play-Doh, and talking about her family situation where she made a house, a heart,” Quintero said. “And she was able, in that, to explain to me that she was more attached to her mom but that there was hope fo establishing a relationship with her father. And she did not say it in words, but it came out very clearly in the artistic work she did with the Play-Doh.”
Quintero said that while there were good days and bad days, she was incredibly motivated to help in the community. She said the decision to retire was one full of prayer, where she just knew it was time.
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