Elise Witek, LMHC, got her Masters in Counseling Psychology, which she applied at the oldest LGBTQIA-focused community mental health agency in the nation. She served as a therapist and intern supervisor.
A colleague’s husband saw a “sales spark” in her and recommended her for her first sales role, where she excelled. A couple of years later, she found her way to us and became Director of Customer Accounts. Now, Elise serves as Vice President of Sales, using skills she picked up as a therapist, such as empathy and listening, to find solutions to make behavioral health professionals and social workers’ lives easier.
As VP of Sales, Elise coaches sales professionals to find solutions to common problems and expand our market to have a greater geographic impact. She also provides product insights to the team based on the conversations she has with prospects.
In our Women Making an Impact series, Elise answered our questions about her day-to-day, what inspires her, and advice for other women.
What excites or motivates you to start off your workday?
As a past clinician, I know what it’s like to sit down after five clients in a row to complete notes. Having a system that is intuitive and easy to use makes a huge difference in the mental health and well-being of the clinicians doing important work. My job is to bring our software to agencies looking for efficiencies so that clinicians have an easy way to document – I know that trickles down to the care they provide.
Can you tell us about a female leader that inspires you?
It’s a privilege to work alongside KCare COO, Johanna Brooks. She brings humanity and compassion into everything she does—this doesn’t slow her down when she’s checking off to-dos or challenging her team. She always fights for equity for herself, her colleagues, and her customers.
What is one life lesson you wish you knew earlier?
Imposter syndrome is near-universal. I was invited to a CEO gathering where folks submitted some of their fears about their role anonymously, and many CEOs talked about imposter syndrome. It helped me settle into my own. You don’t need to know everything to be successful in your role. Part of success is adjusting to the role and learning how to do it well, right then and there.
What advice would you give to women early in their careers?
Apply for the jobs even if you don’t meet all criteria. Here’s a great Harvard Business Review piece on that.
Thanks for sharing your insights, Elise! KCare is lucky to have you on the Leadership Team!
KCare is a suite of innovative software solutions designed for behavioral health and human services organizations. Our industry-leading EHR, case management, and analytics products are designed to boost employee efficiency while improving client outcomes. For over 25 years, providers have trusted KCare to transform how they deliver care through our software solutions, including extendedReach, Exym, and Stabilify.
As a certified B Corporation, we operate our business in accordance with the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. We are also part of the global Pledge 1% movement, donating 1% of our profits to the communities served by our customers.