Name: Jennie Cole-Mossman
Co-Director of the Nebraska Resource Project for Vulnerable Young Children
Where do you hail from?
I was born in Kearney, Nebraska, but moved to Lincoln in sixth grade. I have lived here most of my life with the exception of graduate school in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California.
What is it they say you do?
My kids always have the most interesting answer for this. They are continually telling me stories about their classmates who have problems. They say, “I told them my mom fixes things for kids so you should come to our house”. It has made for some interesting play dates over the years. When I was in private practice, they used to say, “My mom helps sad kids". Mostly, I am a resource and a problem solver for issues related to early childhood mental health; trauma; and the child welfare system.
What has been an unexpected detour for you?
I never intended to leave my private practice. I was working in private practice as a therapist for almost 12 years. I met Kelli Hauptman and Vicki Weisz at a training. Those of you who know them will totally understand what happened next. We started talking about wanting more services for infant mental health. Then we wrote a grant, and I landed here at CCFL. It was totally unexpected but a very good change for me.
What are you drawn to?
I have always been drawn to helping people who are vulnerable or hurting. I remember all the children and families that I saw in private practice for all those years. All my life, people have trusted me with their secrets and listened to my advice. While I feel like I don’t always have the answers, I am honored to be a part of helping.
The quotation I live my life by is......
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. – Theodore Roosevelt