Merriam-Webster defines hope as “a desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment”. Hope is what people thrive for or thrive off of, and sometimes, hope is hard to believe in, especially when you don’t know how to have hope.
Lisa Musilli is a great demonstration of someone who has hope, and not only that but she thrives to help give others hope. Lisa is the Director of Clinical Services at the Fox Run Center for Children and Adolescents. Fox Run is a Residential Treatment Facility for boys and girls ages 5–12, and girls ages 12–17. According to Foxruncenter.com, their goal is to “ provide each patient with the treatment, care, social skills and leadership interactions to give them a solid foundation to support a future of healing and hope.”
In her role as the director of clinical services at Fox Run, Musilli touched on what she does within the facility.
“I oversee Clinical Therapy, Case Management, Recreation Therapy, Programming/Schedules, and Trauma Informed Training of all staff members,” said Musilli.
In 2001 Musilli started part-time as a Recreation Therapist with Fox Run, shortly after in 2006 she became a full-time recreation therapist for Fox Run. She then continued to graduate with her Masters in Social Work from WVU and began working as a licensed Clinical Therapist in 2014. After receiving her master’s, in 2016 Musilli started working at Harmony House as a Forensic Specialist. Musilli conducted over 1,200 interviews with children who had allegations of abuse. This also included working alongside Homeland Security and the FBI with victims of Human Trafficking and kidnapping. Finally, in 2021, Musilli became the Director of Clinical Services at Fox Run. Musilli continues to find ways to expand her learning and is now has an Independent and Supervisor liccensure.
“My career path has led me to working with individuals impacted by trauma. My first experience was working as a volunteer in a homeless shelter providing supervision to the children while the parents were in therapy, “ said Musilli.
But all of this training, schooling, and work experience all was because of one set idea.
“The potential to heal, shape, and improve someone’s future is rewarding,” said Musilli.
Not only does Musilli have that goal, she has hope. She explained further about the hope she wishes to help people with and how she wants to help them achieve it.
“My hope is to provide a consistent, safe, empowering environment that can change the path of a youth that has experienced the greatest traumatic experiences. I have the ability to create a team of like-minded individuals that are empathetic and compassionate, understanding the impact of the trauma they have experienced. More importantly, understanding that there are no “bad children” but individuals that may have never had the chance to be a child. By providing this, a child has the potential to heal, grow, and have a better outcome, “ said Musilli.
In the long run, hope can always be there, no matter who you are or what happens in your life. It’s a matter of finding that hope can be a struggle, and people like Lisa Musilli help people find that hope.
