Meet Whitney Young, Trainer

Young woman with glasses sitting in the stadium at a professional soccer game.

Meet Whitney Young, Trainer, computer builder, and cat lover. Whitney is a licensed therapist who applies her clinical knowledge in a new role at LifeWorks NW.

Discovering her passion

Before joining LifeWorks NW, Whitney spent a decade in behavioral health. “I like to say I’m a therapist by trade,” she says. “I’ve done a little bit of everything from child and family outpatient mental health, to adolescent residential, to detox and crisis residential.”

Whitney went outside her comfort zone to apply for a trainer position at LifeWorks NW, despite not having experience in formal onboarding processes. In her role, she ensures every team member joining the organization has the tools they need to get started at the organization, and she manages the ongoing staff training needs throughout the year.

Finding inspiration and connection

It only took one person to seal the deal for her, and that was Diane Benavides Wille, LifeWorks NW’s VP of Equity, Inclusion, and Workforce Development.

“She is a great role model of someone who has a clinical background combined with a wider skillset,” Whitney says. “Diane’s been an amazing supervisor and mentor for me as I’ve transitioned from being client-facing to an administrative role.”

Shifting perspectives

Whitney enjoys being part of new hires’ journeys. She strives to improve and implement systems that benefit the entire workforce.

“I have an insatiable thirst for efficiency,” she says. “I try to make onboarding as fun and as positive an experience as I can before they go off and do great work at their site.”

Outside of work, Whitney enjoys paddleboarding, building computers from time to time, and listening to music.

“I do a lot of puzzles, often with my cat,” she adds.