Adriana Webb, LCSW, is a dual-licensed Clinical Social Worker at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California and Hawai’i.
What inspired you to pursue a career in behavioral health?
I graduated with by bachelor’s degree in communication, with a minor in Women’s Studies and spent a year after graduation working as a Teen Outreach and Education Coordinator for an organization called Women Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE) in Washington, D.C. In that role, I facilitated workshops with kids and teens about dating violence and healthy relationships. This role taught me the power of early intervention, but it also highlighted the need for specialized clinical care for those already navigating crisis. This led me to pursue my master’s degree in social work, and today I work in an outpatient Infectious Diseases clinic. It’s incredibly rewarding to be the person who supports patients as they process the heavy stuff — the “what now?” that comes with a new diagnosis or medical trauma. My focus is helping them find their footing during the crisis and giving them the tools to handle the long haul, so they aren’t left to manage the emotional weight of a diagnosis by themselves.
How has being in NUHW helped you in your profession?
In an organization as big as Kaiser, it’s all too easy to feel like you don’t have a say in the way you get to provide clinical care, but being a member of NUHW has made all the difference. It’s the difference between feeling like just a number and feeling like a professional with a real voice. Having that collective solidarity means we can advocate for the resources and professional support we need to stay healthy ourselves, which is the only way we can continue providing high-quality care for our patients without burning out. I truly believe that being able to show up and do this level of work is only possible because of the advocacy and support we have through NUHW.
