Featured Trainer: Jonas Ehudin, LCSW
Jonas Ehudin, MSW, LCSW (he/him), joined Pathways to Housing PA in February 2018 to lead an Assertive Community Treatment team supporting a shared caseload of 80 participants. After nearly three years in that role, he shifted into the Behavioral Health Therapist position and now offers ongoing mental health support to the agency’s entire participant population. Since earning his Master’s in Social Work at the University of Montana in 2012, Jonas has also served as assistant director of a group home program for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and provided individual counseling services in a community mental health clinic. Jonas is committed to housing as a human right and believes that good mentorship is crucial to good social work.
Q: What is your role at Pathways, and how long have you been with the agency?
Jonas: I’ve been Pathways to Housing PA’s Behavioral Health Therapist since December 2020. In this role, I provide mental health counseling to participants throughout the agency, supporting them to process and resolve trauma, address substance use in a positive manner, repair and improve relationships, and more. Prior to this, I spent three years as the Team Leader for clinical Team One, Pathways’ original case management team, that serves a blend of participants with mental health and substance use struggles.
Q: Tell us a little about your professional background and what draws you to this work.
Jonas: After earning my Master’s in Social Work from the University of Montana in 2012, I supported adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities at Stone Belt, Inc. in Bloomington, Indiana, first as an individual case manager and later in the role of Assistant Director of Supported Group Living. I’ve found myself drawn to this work for many reasons: the quality of relationships that emerge with both participants and colleagues, the thrill of collaborative work possibilities with interdisciplinary teams, and the variety of avenues to explore within the field.
Q: What do you enjoy about training? What topics are you most passionate talking about?
Jonas: As a trainer, I enjoy meeting folks from across the country and learning about their processes of refining their programs and practices. I have trained on topics such as Motivational Interviewing and the Stages of Change, Using the Team Approach in Case Management, Trauma-Informed Care, and Crisis Intervention.
Q: What is one thing you wish more people understood about Housing First or harm reduction work?
Jonas: What I most wish people understood about Housing First is the fundamental nature of housing as a primary intervention—it’s surprising that such a crucial and basic need is still somehow viewed as a luxury, one that people need to earn with “good behavior.”
Q: Tell us something interesting about you.
Jonas: I love cats and bicycles.
