Kyle Kinney

• Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-kinney-0b043a18a/
• Learn more about Nebraska Family Helpline: nebraskafamilyhelpline.ne.gov
• Call the Nebraska Family Helpline for help with Any Problem. Any Time. (888) 866-8660

 

Kyle Kinney:

Helping people can feel like sharing a cup of coffee.

Announcer:

Welcome to Agency for Change, a podcast from KidGlov that brings you the stories of changemakers who are actively working to improve our communities. In every episode, we’ll meet with people who are making a lasting impact in the places we call home.

Lisa Bowen:

Parenting is hard, no matter how well-prepared you are or how many books you’ve read. It seems kids always have a way of throwing us parents for a loop. And whether you’re supporting your kids through struggles at school, helping them manage big feelings or addressing even larger concerns, like mental health or drug addiction, there are lots of community programs out there that can help.

Hi everyone, this is Lisa Bowen, vice president, managing director at KidGlov. Welcome to another episode of the Agency for Change Podcast. Today’s guest is Kyle Kinney, program manager at Nebraska Family Helpline. They’re an organization dedicated to supporting families with any problem at any time. Kyle, I’m eager to talk with you today and learn more about the great impact you’re making on families in Nebraska.

Kyle Kinney:

Thanks, Lisa. I appreciate you having me on, letting me represent the Nebraska Family Helpline to your listeners.

Lisa Bowen:

You bet. So, Kyle, at KidGlov, we’ve had the opportunity to partner with the Nebraska Family Helpline for a while now and we’ve seen firsthand the great work you do. But for our listeners who are unfamiliar, can you share just an overview of what the helpline is and what you do?

Kyle Kinney:

Sure, yeah. It has been a good partnership over the years, but for those that haven’t had the chance, the Nebraska Family Helpline—we are a 24/7 crisis helpline for parents and families whose children are experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis. We’re really that place they can call in the midst of it or in planning for it or kind of working out of it to just ask questions, deescalate any necessary crisis, connect to services and resources or ask parenting advice. We’re really kind of that centralized hub, that place to go when I just don’t know what to do next. Our tagline, “Any problem, anytime,” really for parents and families, that’s what we do. But in the end, it is that crisis helpline.

Lisa Bowen:

So, any problem, anytime. You mentioned that. That is a tall task, and you could put just about anything in that bucket. So, can you talk a little bit about the most frequent types of calls you receive?

Kyle Kinney:

Sure. And we really do mean it. Any parent or family or Nebraska really can call and ask questions. There’s no such thing as a bad call, but the things we see the most, our most common situations are parents calling about their 12- to 16-year-old, no shock there, middle school age and right after, where their kids are experiencing behavior problems. That’s 50% of our callers right off the bat and more boys than girls they’re calling about. Whether they’re struggling at school, getting in trouble, truancy, arguing, out of behavioral control, any of those kinds of things. Drugs, substance abuse, suicidal ideation. The parents would describe as things are out of control. It would be a parent defined crisis, if you will. That’s half of our calls right off the bat, that 12- to 16-year-old population. And then everything outside of that from we get calls about infants and babies to, “My 18, 19-year-old is getting ready to transition to adulthood. What do I do?”

And all the things that get wrapped up into that. It really does make a nice bell curve, for those who like the stats kind of thing, from that central place of the 12- to 16-year-old. It really does look like a parent when you talk about crisis, the words they’re going to use, “I’m at the end of my rope, I’m tired of walking on eggshells. I feel like I’m not in control of my own home.” When parents are feeling that way, that’s when they’re most likely to reach out to us and then say, “Hey, here’s going on.”

A lot of our callers, they’ve never engaged with mental health or behavioral health services before, the vast majority. So that is a good thing, that we’re that first place they’re reaching out to or one of the first places. And so, they’re saying, “Here’s what I’m seeing. Are services appropriate? Are there other things that would be better to try?” And really trying to be more proactive rather than reactive. Because I always say it’s certainly easier to avoid mess than to try and clean one up. And so really reaching out at that point. And so, when they reach out, we’re going to talk to them, we’re going to understand what’s been going on, and then help create a plan to get their needs met for their entire family. It’s not just about meeting the needs of a child, because rarely is it a singular situation. It’s affecting everybody. So, what’s a good plan that gets everybody’s needs met, and then we’re going to follow up with that family as appropriate, based upon what their individualized plan is.

So, we might call them back a day or two later, “How’s it going? We’re going to do this. This is supposed to happen. What should we do next?” And really calling back as often as appropriate for that family. Finally, ending with one last, “Hey, things are working, things are moving forward. Let’s check in one more time, 90 days later.” Parents and families can call us anytime. There’s no limit or rule as far as how often they can talk to us. But we want to make sure that they’re able to start using services, engage, getting help. Because it doesn’t do any good to give them a plan and then hope it goes well. And you definitely want to know what the outcomes are and if they feel helped. That’s what we do.

Lisa Bowen:

I bet that’s a huge differentiator, that follow up that you guys do at the helpline because a lot of helplines and hotlines I don’t think do that. You call and they tell you what they need to tell you or connect you with a resource. But the fact that you follow up and make sure that they’ve gotten the help they need is really special.

Kyle Kinney:

Yeah, I think the follow-up is critical to seeing the outcomes. That first call, that really is about listening. That’s where the parent is at their wits end. They are frustrated, they’re upset. Often, they’re in as much of an emotional crisis as their kid is maybe a behavioral crisis. And so that first call, let’s listen, let’s deescalate, let’s understand what that family is experiencing, and let’s come up with a plan and create a plan out of that. But the follow-up is where you start moving forward in the plan with services and resources and strategies. And so, the follow-up is where the outcomes happen. And so, I think it’s kind of the two ends of the bookshelf, if you will.

Lisa Bowen:

I love that. And because of the wide variety of calls that you take at the helpline, can you talk a little bit about who fuels that helpline? What partnerships are in place to help you do what you do?

Kyle Kinney:

Oh yeah. No, we’ve got some amazing partners that we’ve worked with over the years because we’re the hub, but a hub’s only as good as the spokes and the wheel around it. And so, we’ve got so many great partners. The family run organizations across the state of Nebraska, like Families Inspiring Families, Families CARE, Independence Rising, those agencies providing peer support services for parents when the kids are having behavioral health issues or mental health issues. Providing that, the experience in those situations and helping them navigate what the family needs. Our mobile crisis provider partners, those folks that are able to go out 24/7 directly into the home where, and the kid is having a very relatively severe behavioral health crisis, the therapist, the team can go out, work with the family face to face. They’re engaging within 30 minutes at times. But those providers, like Lutheran Family Services, Heartland Family Services, CenterPoint and so many more.

We also partner with post adoptive services like the Nebraska Children’s Home Society. We’ve partnered with them since the beginning. And so really as they’re supporting those families who who’ve adopted or have taken guardianship from a state, from youth ward, and really helping preserve those families because adoption is difficult and there’s often trauma involved and the family needs that support, post-adoption. So, they specialize in that. And so being able to connect the family to that service is huge.

And then the other hotlines and the other crisis line partners, like the Boys Town National Hotline, as long as you call a number, let’s get you to the right number. And so having those partnerships when there is the best service, best resource, best opportunities for help and getting them connected to the right places. And so having those partners where if someone needs our help, they can get them sent to us or vice versa. But just having those partners helping, so that no matter who you call, everybody should feel helped. So yeah, we’ve got so many great partners. I could go on and on just talking through those. So, I think those are the ones we probably utilize most. But if anybody’s listening and I missed you, I apologize, we love you too.

Lisa Bowen:

That’s a powerful group. And I know that there probably are a lot more out there, Kyle.

Kyle Kinney:

Yes. Yeah. One of the things I think that the helpline is important that we do just our role is understanding what the services and agencies and stakeholders in the state of Nebraska that can meet parents and families’ needs. So, one of the things we do is maintain a resource database, about 1,600 agencies across the state, and we audit that on an annual cycle. Because we want to make sure that when we help a family with services, they’re getting good information and connecting to resources that are going to be able to help that family. Doesn’t do any good to give someone connection to something that isn’t necessarily useful or available or even open. So, we do work to maintain that, and that does create those partnerships that we can depend on for the families in need.

Lisa Bowen:

Let’s talk a little bit about the real heroes, the people behind the phone when all of these people are calling in with this variety of questions. Can you tell us a little bit about them and what their training is, what you have to teach them in order to handle all these calls?

Kyle Kinney:

Absolutely. They’re the ones that do all the work. They make my job easy because they do really good work with their callers. So, they’re called crisis counselors. And they operate the phones 24/7. And they take calls really from anyone and everyone across the state of Nebraska. And that really is one of the things that makes their job challenging is they don’t know what that next phone call is going to be. It really could be a 14-year-old who got suspended from school and the parents aren’t sure what to do next. And it could be the 10-year-old who’s experiencing suicidal thoughts and really, “What do I next?” And it could be anything in between. And so really being prepared to take whatever happens next. To have them prepared, they’re bachelor level crisis counselors and they’re trained in a number of different things starting with crisis de-escalation. Because like I said, half of our callers are calling in a state of crisis, so let’s work to de-escalate the crisis first.

They’re trained in risk assessment, understanding what’s the lethality risk, suicide risk, homicidal risk, behavior risk and those kinds of things. So being able to assess what is the nature of the situation, what’s the next best steps. They’re trained in suicidology, as part of our accreditation, able to take those calls. And let’s be honest, with the suicide trends over the last decade, that went from not really being something we dealt with on a regular basis to 30% of our callers where that’s present in their children. And so being prepared for that.

Safety planning, understanding the results of that assessment, but then also what needs to happen next to move forward in that safety. Service navigation, what resources are available, how to best connect to them. Nebraska systems and resources, how does it work in Nebraska? Because every state’s a little bit different. And so, we want to make sure that our crisis counselors are able to help callers navigate the Nebraska services and systems.

And then finally, we always are providing that 24/7 clinical oversight from, we have clinical supervisors, myself, the managers, the therapist. We want to make sure that we’re always having clinical fidelity to those outcomes particularly, and then the resources and service planning. But in the end, that’s the list. That’s what they’re trained in. You check the boxes. Here’s why the crisis counselors are so good at what they do. When someone calls, they’re going to get a kind welcoming voice. We staff in such a way so that the calls get answered. We don’t have automated systems. You don’t push a button, there’s no voicemail, we just answer the phone. So, we staff in such a way that calls get answered. Over the 12 years of the helpline, 13 years, we’ve answered 99.6% of our calls in 10 seconds or less. And so, we just answer the phones.

And that’s the first step, is people don’t want to get transferred around. People don’t want to have to push buttons or sit on hold when they’re in a crisis. And so, we make sure we do that. And then that counselor, their goal is to make that caller feel comfortable. I compare it to sharing a cup of coffee with someone. I grew up in rural Nebraska. My grandma would take me to the coffee shop where she would sit with her and her friends. This is back in the day when you could smoke inside of a restaurant. They’d sit around smoking and my grandma would bring me, probably wasn’t the best for my lungs, but I guess I’m okay, so it worked out. But I’d get a donut, they’d talk, I’d sit there for an hour, and I’d listen to them just talk.

And that struck me that they could talk about anything. That idea, that feeling is what I want our callers to experience. Or maybe it’s those folks who have that favorite aunt who can tell them all the hard things and yet thank them for it. Those are the how I want our callers to feel, those kinds of ideas where it’s tough conversations, but they’re honest. And so, I want our crisis counselors to be able to provide that experience for our callers, and they do a really good job of it. Our callers should never get the response, “We don’t do that.” Yeah, there’s things we don’t do. We’re not doctors, we’re not lawyers. There are absolutely things we don’t do. But we probably know who does or we’re willing to find out. And that’s different than saying, “I don’t do that.” That’s saying, “Wow, I know exactly what you need,” or, “I think we can get you some help. Let’s take a look at this.”

You’re telling them the same thing, but one feels very, very different. And so that is what our crisis counselors are really good at, is listening, slowing down, not trying to rush them into three services or a plan. But instead, listening and coming up with what that caller both wants and needs, and able to do that because they feel heard and they feel respected, frankly. And so, it becomes the family’s plan, not our plan. That’s what it is that they really do that helps the callers. And I think that’s why you see that success, combined with the follow-up calls. It’s, “Hey, you guys were helpful then and you’re continuing to check in and see how things are going.” In the end, that’s what makes our crisis counselor special in my opinion.

Lisa Bowen:

You had me at “a real person answers the phone.” That alone is pretty impressive in this day and age. And I can think of a lot of service providers that should follow your lead there, but that is truly special. And the work you do, and having you at the helm I think is awesome too. You do a wonderful job of making sure that that team has led well.

Kyle Kinney:

I appreciate that. I’ve got such a great staff. The supervisors and clinical supervisors do amazing work. They all make my job so easy. I swear I have probably the easiest job here because they let me talk about it and go out and verify and improve. They’re doing good work and it makes it very easy. I love my team.

Lisa Bowen:

Great. So, Kyle, let’s talk a little bit about how the helpline came about. Why was this created?

Kyle Kinney:

Yeah, that’s an interesting story, isn’t it? So, hotlines have been around a while, they might remember the Safe Haven Crisis in 2008, give or take, where Nebraska enacted the legislation that, and we were the 50th state in the country to do so, so you weren’t expecting issues. But we made it where the intent was if someone gave birth and was unable or unwilling or just not able to provide care for the infant, they could take them to a hospital and leave them and it wouldn’t result in them receiving an abandonment charge. And so, every state had this, and we did the same thing. We enacted it. The problem was we didn’t put an age end cap on it where up to a month or up to a year. We just left it open. And what happened was you had teenagers getting left at hospitals who had behavioral health or mental health issues, and too many stories of parents saying, “I had to get my kid arrested to get help,” or “I had to make them a state ward to get help.”

You had people coming from other states to leave their kids with us. Not good. So first, the state closed the loophole, got that resolved. But then people looked around and said, “We might have an access problem.” And so state legislatures, stakeholders, providers, parents and families who’ve had these experiences really came together all at the same time to develop a series of legislation and corresponding services to provide access for those non-system families. So, system families being defined as state wards, foster care or juvenile justice, like kids on probation, kids in the juvenile justice system, kids aren’t in those systems but still needing help because they have mental health or behavioral health challenges. And so, in that legislation in 2009, going all the way back then, they created a series of services. First in that central hub was the Nebraska Family Helpline. So, a place to call in the crisis or to get help or resources or get navigation.

And then it also provided services like family navigation where a family could get face-to-face support from a family advocate who could help them navigate services and systems, apply for resources, those kinds of things. And then that post adoptive services, because of those kids that were left at hospitals, a good chunk of them were for kids who had been adopted or had been former state wards. And so, they have unique challenges in that environment.

And so that all kicked off in 2010 through that legislation and we’ve been working with our state partners at the Division of Behavioral Health, as a state service and then with the legislature and then all the different system partners really since then. And I think the initial concern was like, is this just a phone line to nowhere? But in reality, it has been utilized more and more every year, really for the number of years it was averaging 10 to 15% growth. We were 300-400 calls a month to really peaking pre-pandemic to the 500- 600 calls a month to where we served over 80,000 families, in every county in the state of Nebraska. And so that’s really where we came out of. It’s been fun. It’s been obviously good to serve Nebraskans. I’m Nebraskan, born and raised, and I very much want to see all families thrive. And I think the helpline is a good place to start when there are issues.

Lisa Bowen:

Kyle, I feel like mental and emotional education and support is often overlooked for families. I’m curious about your perspective on why that is and how Nebraska Family Helpline is working towards real change in that area.

Kyle Kinney:

Yeah. And I think I agree with you, Nebraska is working to move that forward. I think there’s a lot of reasons. I don’t think there’s a simple answer to that. I think it all came out of the history of the development of mental health, behavioral health, psychology even. And the training and how you prepare for those different things are done in silos. You go to medical school, or you go to counseling school or psychology school or psychiatry school. And they’re all very different. Historically, they haven’t been connected. And so, you come out of training without cross-training. You got trained for your specialty and then it moved into providing the care. And then the funding sources were also siloed. I pay for mental health care as a funding agent, or I pay for juvenile justice care, or I pay for whatever.

So that was siloed. So, you got providers that have no cross trained background moving into services that aren’t funded, cross funded. And it just has always been that way. And nurses do nursing work and doctors do doctor work and counselors do counseling and everything just has always maintained in silo. And organizations like Gallup have done a lot of research into this over the last decade and probably longer, but that’s what I’m aware of, so we’ll talk about it like it’s the last decade, where these first points of contact for people who need help, they’re not trained in other forms of help. A good example is they did research. Where’s the first place families in America go when they need help for their kids?

And the first place they go is their pediatrician. Well, if you go talk to pediatricians, and more importantly, if you talk to their nurses, they’ll all tell you either, “I’ve got no training in behavioral health or very little.” And again, this is changing. So, talking from historical perspective. “I don’t know what is supposed to happen, so I just follow my standard operating procedure, whatever my manual tells me to do.” And so, they do that, and they don’t know any different and that’s just what they do. And so that’s how that works. And so that’s the first place people would go.

Second place people in America go when they need help is their pastor, their priest, their minister. And again, I’m the son of a minister. I can tell you, the ministers first will tell you, “I have no training in any of this. I go to seminary or go to theology school. They prepare me for that. They don’t prepare me”… they might take a class in pastoral counseling type things and that’s it. So, they feel ill-equipped. So, they defer, but yet, they’re the number two place people go.

That is all changing. You start talking to medical schools and they’re increasingly cross-training in stuff like behavioral health, mental health, some of those kinds of things. You look at the seminaries and the ministry type places. They’re providing increasing cross-training because Gallup and organizations like that, that does that kind of research has made a point, put a big, red flag and saying, “Hey, these are the places people are going and you got to get them equipped and prepared to help folks.” And so that has helped.

The other side is just the intent of the people in charge of these kinds of things. So, the division of behavioral health and DHHS offices, federal mandates. It is requiring like, “Hey, we just don’t get to operate this way anymore.” And so, you’re seeing system change and you’re also seeing provider change and it is to move it forward. Nebraska was…lucky’s probably not the right word, but we benefited from receiving a system of care grant back in 2016 as a state where we could start working on crossing over those silos and so that we could help whoever and partner and use our funding better. And that really helped move things forward over the last four, well, it’s more now, but the last number of years of that four-year grant. And again, you’re absolutely right, it’s moving forward. But you really had to start with both the systems and the people doing the work.

Lisa Bowen:

Kyle, I know calls are confidential through the helpline. But do you have any particularly impactful stories you can share about how the helpline’s made a difference in general?

Kyle Kinney:

Yeah, I think of a couple of things. So, one of the things the helpline does, let’s talk general and then maybe we’ll get a couple of specific, we do that 90-day follow up that I mentioned where once the plan’s engaged and it’s happening, we follow up one more time 90 days later. And the number one kind of thing… we track a number of things from a just like, “Hey, are outcomes happening?” The one that I’m most proud of is that at that 90-day point, 70% of our families that have called are actively using the referrals that they were connected, the services they were connected with. And from an industry standpoint, that’s a very high number. And so, to me that tells me we did a good job of both understanding what they needed, helping them engage in a service or referral, and then connecting them to it and then through the follow-up, making sure that they’re getting their needs met. It’s the right service.

And that to me means a ton because we’re not there to solve all their problems. We’re there to understand and get them connected. And so, 90 days later when I hear, “Hey, we’re using our services, that was what we needed,” we’ve done a good job. So, it’s a data point. Nobody really gets the warm fuzzies over a data point, but I do. And so, I think, hey, people are getting help by calling.

Some of the other things I think I’ve noticed is I just randomly run into people in the communities. I’m out and about. I’m at sporting events or kids’ stuff or whatever, and it’s always, “Hey, what do you do? I work at Nebraska Family Helpline. Oh, no kidding. I called them seven years ago. And golly, it made all the difference.” Or, “You know what, man? I was so done with my kid, and they graduated, they’re in college now.”

And those are the interactions I think we get the most warm fuzzies over. And I know all my counselors have those experiences, my supervisors have those experiences because the ones with crisis calls is you get the immediate, you get that immediate call and you get the follow-up calls, maybe 90 days later. But you don’t often get the nice Disney ending because they’ve moved on, and that’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re not that long-term service. We’re not that long-term support. We’re the immediate to help them in that moment in time. So, we don’t often. It’s when we stumble into them. I think when families are at their wits end and by the time you’re done and they’re just feeling better, and their kids are happy and they’re doing what’s best for them. And that’s probably the closest I can say is to, like I said, those kinds of stories.

I think the one thing it always does stick out in their message is they never, ever, “That plan was the best plan I ever had,” or “Boy, that referral was so good.” No, they always come back to, “You listened to me when I needed listening to.” Or “They were just willing to just let me rant or vent” or “I just needed someone to yell at.” Great. And so, that’s always the message. It’s never like that service or whatever it might be. That parenting strategy, boy, no, it’s you listened. And so, I think that’s something from, again, that goes back to the crisis counselors. They just do a really good job of having those conversations, being willing to slow down and just take a breath and talk it through. So, I think that’s probably, that’s where we get our warm fuzzies. Is doing the work that we do.

Lisa Bowen:

Well, Kyle, I can tell that you’re passionate about the work you do, and you can hear it in your voice. You can tell by the statistics that you’re just really spouting off because you’re so passionate about what you do. And you can tell you’ve been doing it for a while. So, can you tell us a little bit about your path and how long you’ve been at the helpline and what brought you to this line of work?

Kyle Kinney:

Yeah. So, I’ve been at the helpline 10 years now. How I ended up in the county human services helping field is interesting. It’s interesting to me. When I was in college, my wife and I got married young. Just what we did. We were 21 and I had a cousin, he was younger, like 15 or 16 at the time. And he was getting into quite a bit of trouble. And my uncle asked if we could take him in.

Lisa Bowen:

At 21.

Kyle Kinney:

21. Relatively newly married. We’d been married a year or two at the time. In college. But I guess I got a kind heart, I don’t know. So, we considered it. We really talked it through. We really wanted to do it. But just again, being 21 living in a small apartment, there’s just no way. We couldn’t make it work. And so, we had to say, “No, man. We really wish we could, but just we can’t.” A week later, I started my internship for college at Boys Town. Now again, 21. I just knew I needed an internship. And my aunt worked at Boys Town, and I called her and said, “Hey, I need an internship. Can you help a nephew out?” And so, she’s like, “Let me see what I can do.”

And so, she was able to connect me to the admissions office at the time and said, “Hey, they actually would love an intern for the next semester.” Yeah, great. I had no idea what Boys Town did. I knew the old, they’re an orphanage, I think, I had no idea. So, I show up and day one, you get a desk and that kind of stuff. But day two, the admissions’ director, is like, “Hey, we’re going to do an intake. I’d really love for you to sit down and watch. Okay, I don’t know what this is, but sure I’ll do it.”

So, I go in there, sit there, and this couple comes in, you can clearly tell it’s a married couple. They sit down. And then this other professional guy comes in, I don’t really remember him that well. And then a young, probably a 14-year-old boy and his family comes in. I’m like, “What is going on?” And so, I watch. And so, they were admitting a child to Boys Town and this couple who… okay, this is where this kid’s going to be living with is talking to the child and having conversations. I don’t know what happens here. So, the admissions happens. I go, “What does Boys Town do now? Help me understand.”

Help me understand. And so, they’re like, “Okay. So, the family teachers live with kids and they get a house or an apartment, and they take in six to eight kids and they provide behavioral health treatment for them. And they work with them and in 6, 9, 12 months. And they help them learn some skills and then they get them back to their families.” And I said, “Okay, but what are their day jobs?” No, no, no. That’s their job. They’re family teachers. I’m like, “Wait, I could have a job where I take care of kids as my job and we could live there, and my nephew? Yeah.” I had no idea.

So, I walk out the end of the day, call my wife, “Hey, guess what Boys Town does?” She’s like, “What? They give you a job where you get to take care of kids who need help, and they would actually pay you to do it.”

Lisa Bowen:

They give you a house.

Kyle Kinney:

They give you a house. She’s like, “Wait, what?” So, I walk her through, I’m like, “Would you consider this?” And she’s like, “Absolutely.” Because we were devastated we couldn’t help my cousin out. So long story short, we apply. Two weeks later they interviewed us and by the end of my first month of my internship, “Hey, as soon as you graduate here in the spring, let’s move in.” So I moved in, college ended next day, we moved in and they gave us a house and some kids. And because we were young and dumb and didn’t know any better, we just did what they said because I don’t have anything to do differently. And so, we just did and it worked. And so, we were there about four and a half years. And we were family teachers and loved it.

It was great. I had our first daughter there. And then after that was able to finish up my graduate degree and really did some other human service experiences and then ended up back at the helpline, I said 10 years ago. So, I owe a lot to Boys Town. I owe a lot to folks over the years. But it all goes back to when I couldn’t help my cousin and I couldn’t help my uncle out. So fell into it. And I guess I’ve been helping people and working with people ever since. That’s 20 years ago, 22 years… no, 20 years ago. Time flies.

Lisa Bowen:

Wow. I learned something new about you today, Kyle. That’s a pretty awesome story. And wow, what a noble thing. So that’s great.

Kyle Kinney:

Thank you. I appreciate that. I enjoy what I do, I enjoy my team. I enjoy the folks I work with and could probably do just about anything if I enjoy the people I work with. And so, it’s been good.

Lisa Bowen:

Great. Well, Kyle, we love quotes here at KidGlov, and wondering if you have a few of your own inspiring words to share with us today?

Kyle Kinney:

Sure. Like said, one thing I tell my counselors, helping people can feel like sharing a cup of coffee. It doesn’t have to feel sterile, it doesn’t have to feel like you’re processing paperwork. It can feel like you’re sharing a cup of coffee. So, I say that a lot. I also tell my counselors, never ever say, “We don’t do that. Say, “We don’t do, but we know who does. We can be helpful.” Never say, “We don’t do that.”

And then finally, the other thing I tell my counselors is people need to feel helped in order for them to receive the help. If they don’t feel helped, they’re not going to follow through, they’re not going to engage, they’re not going to do it. They’re not going to buy into anything we’re saying. So, help them feel helped, and they will be. You can put any of those on a mug or on a poster, that would be just fine. But I think those are the things that matter because in the end, when you talk to folks who’ve received help and things are going well, those are the kinds of things they talk about. And so, we can provide that to all of our callers.

Lisa Bowen:

Those are definitely mug and poster worthy words, Kyle. Definitely.

Kyle Kinney:

We do what we can.

Lisa Bowen:

So, for listeners who would like to learn more, or for parents that might need the support that you’re talking about today, how can they contact the Nebraska Family Helpline? You have a phone number, right?

Kyle Kinney:

We do. It’s the sum of our existence. Call 1 (888) 866-8660. You can also go to our website to learn about us. If you want to talk to us, just call us. That’s easy. But if you just want to do some research or something, go to www.nebraskafamilyhelpline.ne.gov or just do a Google search. Nebraska Family Helpline is the only thing that’s going to come up if you Google that. So, we’re pretty easy to find.

Lisa Bowen:

All right. As we wrap up our time here today, you’ve told us so much great information. Kyle, what is the most important thing you want listeners to remember about the helpline and the work you do?

Kyle Kinney:

Yeah, I go back to our tagline, Nebraska Family Helpline, any problem, anytime. If you as a family are wondering, “Should we call?” Well, you’ve already answered your question, call. There’s no problem too big or too small. We’re ready to talk to you about it. So yeah, if you’re wondering if I should call, just do it.

Lisa Bowen:

Great. Well, Kyle, thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us today, to share your story and more about the helpline. And I hope that us talking about this today, we can help even more families that can reach out and receive your services. So, thank you so much to you and all of your call advisors for the great work you do.

Kyle Kinney:

Absolutely. Thank you, Lisa. Thank you KidGlov for partnering with us on our marketing and outreach and yeah, look forward to continuing working with you.

Lisa Bowen:

Great. Thanks, Kyle.

Kyle Kinney:

All right, talk to you soon.

Announcer:

We hope you enjoyed today’s Agency for Change podcast. To hear all our interviews with those who are making a positive change in our communities, or to nominate a changemaker you’d love to hear from, visit KidGlov.com at K-I-D-G-L-O-V.com to get in touch. As always, if you like what you’ve heard today, be sure to rate, review, subscribe, and share. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time.