Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | December 1, 2025 | wbjournal.com F O C U S H E A LT H C A R E Walsh elevates community voices to provide trauma-responsive mental health care BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer O ne of the very few things that irritates Dianne Walsh is when her staff call her boss. Walsh oversees 27 clinicians, managing five directly, as the vice president of clinical services & director of the Center for Behavioral Health at RFK Community Alliance in Lancaster – meaning there's quite a few who would understandably assign Walsh that title. "I look at it as, a boss is sort of hier- archical. And we're colleagues, and that means we're a team and we're a commu- nity, as opposed to having there be steps," she said. is collaborative lens is part of Walsh's greater trauma-responsive ap- proach to both her work with clients and fellow employees. While trauma-informed care acknowl- edges trauma and its impacts on one's life and choices, a trauma-responsive approach provides proactive care using an understanding of the lasting impacts of trauma. For example, Walsh will request construction not take place at the center while providers are seeing patients. "Loud noises, or things they don't ex- pect, will impact anybody with trauma. So it's sort of that lens all the time, not just about a certain person … but it's also certain things we do or don't do as we move through the world," said Walsh. is forethought and influence sets Walsh apart, said Kathy Mills, president and CEO of RFK. Walsh shows up, said Mills, which is an easy thing to say, but she means it. "She shows up in programs that are hers. She shows up in programs that aren't hers. She shows up for all staff," said Mills. "She wants to be there to hear the other person's voice, hear what their concerns are, problem solve with them. She's really exceptional." When Walsh assumed her role of VP, she spent that first year sitting with every leader and group of clinicians at RFK, listening and asking questions, not assuming she had all the answers. When the agency is making big deci- sions, she meets with clinical leaders to see how those potential decisions could impact their work. "If there are decisions to be made, she is one of the people who is highlighting the voices who we might be missing out on to be part of that decision-making process," Mills said. "She's a very active participant and invites other people to the table, which is exactly what we want to do in our work." "ey know things I don't know," said Walsh. It's not just during big decisions that Walsh seeks the input of others. She leads bimonthly team meetings with the Cen- ter for Behavioral Health, monthly meet- ings with clinical leaders as a group, and once a month with them individually, on top of meeting with all clinicians across the agency together once a quarter. "It's really important for me not to hold all the reins … I tell people all the time, 'You don't need my permission, as long as nobody gets hurt,'" Walsh said with a laugh. But her collaborative nature in no way suggests she doesn't take charge and propel the agency forward. In one of her most recent heavy lis, Dianne Walsh and her therapy dog Vivie care for patients at the Center for Behavioral Health. PHOTO | COURTESY OF DIANNE WALSH

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