Kelliann Miranda-Green did not choose social work from a distance. The field claimed her through proximity to pain, through the particular helplessness that comes from watching someone you love struggle while systems fail around them. When someone close to her attempted suicide, Kelliann found herself thrust into the role of caregiver, navigating what she describes as an abrasive awakening: broken systems, resources that remained perpetually out of reach, support that never quite materialized when it was needed most. It was in those fractured spaces, in the gaps between what existed and what was needed, that she recognized her calling. She would not merely witness the brokenness. She would become part of the repair.
Perspectives in Healthcare is brought to you by CareYaya, America's number one rated solution for in-home senior care, providing industry-leading quality care at the most affordable rates from over 50,000 students nationwide. CareYaya is known especially for delivering the most reliable and affordable overnight senior care and 24/7 care in many major metro areas including Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.
That was twelve years ago. Since then, Kelliann has worked across various sectors of social work, building expertise that she now brings to her work as a licensed clinician at a group practice in Raleigh. She specializes in intimate partner violence, anxiety, grief and loss, and couples work, working with clients ranging from children to adults, meeting people in some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. It is work that requires both extraordinary compassion and extraordinary boundaries, and Kelliann has learned to hold both with equal care.
The validation came unexpectedly, as meaningful validation often does. Kelliann was attending a Halloween event she had helped organize, a collaboration between her current practice and a former employer. A newer employee approached her, and as they spoke, the woman revealed something Kelliann had not known: she had been one of Kelliann's very first clients, back when Kelliann was just beginning her career in social work. What followed was a gift that practitioners in helping professions rarely receive. The woman told her that Kelliann's compassion, her refusal to judge, her uplifting presence, and her steady support had been instrumental in her own journey. Not only had she furthered her education, she had entered the field of social work herself, carrying forward the care she had once received.
In that moment, Kelliann understood something essential about the nature of impact in service work. "I think there are so many moments in fields of service where many of us question our impact and whether or not we are saying or doing the right thing for the people we serve," she reflects. That Halloween encounter showed her that even in the earliest, most uncertain days of her career, she had been creating change that would ripple outward in ways she could never have anticipated.
For those entering the field now, Kelliann offers counsel born from hard-won experience. Social work, she notes, is both beautiful and vast. That vastness can inspire or overwhelm, sometimes on the same day. There is always space to transition, to pivot, to find new ways of serving. But there is also an ever-growing need, particularly in the current climate, and that need can consume those who do not protect themselves against it. "Make sure to always hold firm boundaries in protection of your peace and in protection of burnout," she advises. And then, acknowledging the phrase that has become almost too familiar to carry weight, she says it anyway because it remains true: "You really do need to put on your oxygen mask first to effectively help another."
The role of healthcare professional is one Kelliann holds with deep gratitude. She describes it as a great honor and privilege, something she does not take lightly. Every client who chooses vulnerability with her, who trusts her with their pain and their hope, receives her vigilant commitment in return. She continues learning, continues growing, continues working to provide each person an individualized experience tailored to their specific needs. It is, she understands, the only way to honor the trust that has been placed in her.
When Kelliann looks toward the future of healthcare, she sees the same gaps she encountered twelve years ago, though perhaps with clearer eyes about how to address them. She hopes for increased accessibility across communities, for resources that reach beyond the privileged few to become truly inclusive and affordable. She hopes for more practitioners who operate from culturally responsive and anti-oppressive frameworks, creating spaces where all individuals can pursue support without fear, without barriers, without the exhausting need to translate themselves to be heard.
It is fitting that someone who came to this work through brokenness now dedicates herself to building systems of care that might prevent others from falling through the cracks she once witnessed. Kelliann's work as a licensed clinician in Raleigh stands as evidence that one person, armed with compassion and sustained by boundaries, can create the kind of change she once desperately wished existed. The work continues. The need remains vast. But so does the capacity for healing when it is offered with the kind of unwavering dedication that has defined Kelliann's twelve years in the field.