Accounts from Chelsea’s Office Administrator
Ember Health Chelsea office Nurse Navigator Ellie Tiano sat down with her team’s longtime administrator Aruna Singh to talk about her role and time with Ember.
Aruna Singh, tending to Chelsea’s plants.
I’ve loved working with you, and know that your tenure with Ember long predates my joining. How long have you been a part of the Ember Health team?
Almost two years.
Wow, it sounds like you've had the chance to work across multiple offices and also with the central team. How do the clinics differ?
I would say that the Chelsea office is very relaxed through and through, and if I had to associate a mood state with Chelsea it would be “calming.” Brooklyn Heights has a vibrant energy, and I would associate them with an “uplifting” mood state. I’ve also worked with the Williamsburg team, and to me I would associate their office with being very mindful, rooted, and intentional. They have a very “centering” kind of vibe. I haven’t worked at the Upper East Side office.
It’s so cool how you associate the signature aromatherapies and teas we use – the calming, centering, uplifting, and grounding. What role do you and the other office admins play?
On the front end, we’re the first face that patients see when they come in. We get them tea and help them with any scheduling needs, billing, or insurance questions. On the back end, we’re the ones involved with preparing foundation materials for patients, such as the orientation folders and gifts. We mix and make the teas and scents used during appointments ourselves. We work with the Clinical Director of each office to make sure that all patients’ records are up to date so that they can seamlessly connect with other members of patient care teams, such as therapists and psychiatrists.
And you open the office each morning as well, making sure everything’s in place for our patients. We couldn’t run this place without you! I’ve heard you referred to as the “plant whisperer” on the team. Why is that?
I love plants! Gardening is something I got into during COVID while I was home, and my collection of plants grew really quickly. Now I own over 30 plants. I think that taking care of plants is a beautiful thing. You have to put in the time to learn what each of them need and be attentive to how they’re doing in your space.
Some plant care is “textbook” in nature, and some isn’t. Over the years, learning through experience has really allowed me to have a better understanding of how they work and how they live. Now I have a green thumb.
I’ve taken care of plants at the offices in Chelsea and in Brooklyn Heights, and I’ve worked alongside Tiffany to pick plants for the newer offices. I’ve created a plant-watering guide for the staff to use at other office locations. I think that’s why they call me the ‘plant whisperer’ around here!
So what attracted you to Ember and the field of Ember Health in the first place?
I have my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Hunter College, and my interest in psychology goes back to when I was in middle school. Back then, I was gifted books on Freud, which, come to think of it, was a very interesting gift for a middle schooler! In high school, I wanted to be a nurse. After some introspection, I decided that nursing wasn’t what I wanted at that time. I changed majors to psychology and enjoyed taking psychology classes, reviewing studies, and even being in a study myself. So the interest in the field has always been there.
Coming from my background- a Caribbean culture- where mental health is stigmatized, I’ve watched friends and family members struggle with their mental health and be written off as being affected by “spirits”. Seeing their struggles up close made me understand how important it is to have providers in the mental health field.
What stemmed my interest in Ember Health was that they are at the forefront of ketamine treatment for depression. Ember Health operates from a research-oriented perspective, and the growing body of literature on ketamine is exciting. Being in my role is rewarding in its own way because I get to witness patient journeys from start to finish, and see how they experience relief from their depression.
As you reflect over the past two years, what is your favorite part of your role?
Being at the front desk and getting to know patients over time has been the most rewarding for me. Oftentimes, I’ll be able to have brief conversations with them before and after sessions with the clinicians, and then we pick back up when they come in next. So really getting to know them and learning what is going on in their lives on a regular basis is what I enjoy the most.
What have you found most gratifying about your work with patients who come to Ember?
Being able to witness how life-changing this treatment can be for people. Because we often see people from the very first day of their foundations to eventual remission from their depression, the change in their faces and demeanors over the course of their care with us shows it all.
Thank you, Aruna, I really appreciate the work that you do and the time you’ve taken to share a bit about it with me!