Behind the Desk with Tiffany Vitale
A Mother, A Wife, An Artist
“Behind the Desk” is a monthly series that gives our community a chance to get to know our staff.
As a Family Education Facilitator, Tiffany Vitale works with moms who are separated from their children while in recovery from substance use disorders at DACCO Behavioral Health. The classes she facilitates teach are designed to help moms strengthen their relationship with their kids and learn strategies to support their healthy development. Tiffany is also a proud mother and wife whose world is full of art. Today, she gives us a glimpse of who she is beyond the desk!
Let’s Get to Know Tiffany!
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Tiffany Vitale! Within Champions and the community, I am a Family Education Facilitator at the Family Learning Center at DACCO and a contracted Outpatient Therapist. I’ve worked in the social work field for 10+ years now and I wouldn’t change fields for the world! Outside of work, I am a spoken word artist and writer, a mom to an adventurous 6-year-old, and am married to a rapping-magician! Our life outside of work is filled with art. 🎨
Tell us about what you do at Champions.
At the Family Learning Center (FLC), I assist with facilitating education groups with parents in DACCO’s outpatient and residential substance use recovery programs. We teach the Nurturing Parenting curriculum over a period of 9 weeks per group and I get to host discussions on a number of topics such as healthy communication, parental empathy, boundaries, etc with our clients. We do our best to make each group interactive so our parents have an opportunity to practice the skills they’d like to teach their children.
When you have 30 minutes of free time, how do you pass the time?
I pass my time by writing and reading, doing yoga, or meal planning, which is oddly relaxing! 🧘🏾♀️
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I REALLY LOVE emojis, if you can’t tell! I’ll admit it takes everything within me to not send them in work emails! I honestly see them as “sentence seasoning!” 🤷🏽♀️
What three traits do you feel define you and why?
Trustworthy:🤞🏾 Mutual trust and support (to give and receive it) are both incredibly important to me in all contexts.
Prepared/Reliable: 🤓I’m the friend who thinks about all of the supplies needed, checked the almanac twice for weather, and considered all worst-case scenarios about our trip and how we could solve them… before we even set the date for our trip.
Communicative/Expressive: 🤣 👥I love to laugh and have good conversations with others.
Ten years ago, who did you think you would be now?
I thought for sure after high school and my Glee Club/Musical Thease phase, I would be a touring jazz vocalist somewhere in the world. I sing to my daughter every night and that’s cool too. 🎤
What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
An established author, especially of children’s books! I still hope to publish my drafts one day and see where they go!📚
What is your ultimate goal in life?
I want to leave a legacy of compassion- in my home, community, and this world, with my words and actions. I want to raise a kind daughter and create memories with friends and family that she is proud to pass on. ❤️
What satisfies you the most about your current position with Champions?
I love hearing the “ohhhh’s” and “aha’s” after information clicks with our clients, especially after an engaging group discussion. Hearing them encourage and empower each other with their life experiences still makes me tear up.
What’s your favorite thing about working at Champions?
The wonderful bandwidth of our agency and the lengths we go to serve. I was wearing my CFC shirt after work to my daughter’s cub scouts meeting and someone stopped and said, “You guys are everywhere in Tampa!” Another mom shared from across the room that we helped her when she was struggling to nurse her daughter years ago and that she would never forget those moments of support. I love that we have the reputation of being available and willing to serve in our community! 🙌🏾
We truly are Champions for Children and we are so proud to have a community that recognizes us as a go-to resource for support. Every parent in every family deserves the chance to strengthen their connection with their children. While moms and dads work with our partners DACCO Behavioral Health to strengthen and rebuild themselves, the Family Learning Center works with them to strengthen and rebuild their families. If you are currently struggling with a substance use disorder and looking for help, contact DACCO Behavioral Health directly.