Ciera Ray’s passion for others has led her from a career as a juvenile corrections social worker to a medical social worker, coupled with life as both a parent and foster parent, while also assisting in youth ministry at her local church.

“I’ve always loved helping people,” Ray, 33, said. “I knew I always wanted to come back and give to the community that raised me. I grew up in Zephyr but in rural towns there’s not a lot of draw for master’s level professionals.”

Ray has found a work home now, however, at Fresenius Kidney Care’s Dialysis Center in Brownwood.

“I help our patients with any type of basic needs they need to have met,” Ray said. “If they’re having trouble with housing or transportation or food insecurity or need food to eat, helping them navigate resources in the community, insurance, making referrals if they have mental health needs, a lot of case management. I do short term counseling, not full time clinical like I was before, and also crisis intervention. I also work with a team of doctor, nurses and a dietitian, too.”

As for the most rewarding aspect of her current position, Ray said, “When people get a diagnosis of a terminal illness there’s a huge since of loss in many patients’ lives. The most rewarding part is seeing our patients walk through that, have the bravery and courage to take it day by day and see that they can still do things. Seeing them become empowered and have hope still while having a chronic illness is the most rewarding.”

Ray added, “Working the with the team I work with at this clinic is really phenomenal. Everyone here is really patient and focused and want the best for people and really, truly care. I see some of these patients more than I see my family with them being up here three times a week for hours at a time, so that’s another rewarding thing. You really get to know people.”

Reflecting on her career, Ray said, “I first started out of graduate school working at a juvenile correction facility. I did case management at Center for Life Resources for a little bit then I worked a juvenile correction facility for about 4 ½ years. I did full time counseling there and then I transitioned out of that to medical, like home health and hospice, and now I’m doing dialysis.”

The decision to change career fields occurred around the time Ciera and her husband, Ricky, decided they wanted to begin a family.

“My husband and I were starting to look at having a family and having children and when I worked there it was just a ton of hours,” she said. “We get into fostering, there was a little boy at our church who needed a foster family and my husband and I weren’t getting pregnant so we felt strongly about becoming parents and were going to go to our first foster care meeting and we learned about a little boy in our church literally that same week. That’s how the transition happened, and then I stayed in medical just because it’s easier as a working mom.”

The Rays have a 2 ½-year old daughter, and also served as foster parents in 2019 and again earlier this year to a brother and sister.

Ray previously served on the Child Welfare Board but stepped down when the couple adopted their daughter. They both serve at Midtown Church as well.

“I’ve been helping out with the youth there,” she said. “I’m a youth leader and help the youth pastor there and have since 2014. We both serve on worship team.”

Regarding her future in the workforce, Ray said, “I just love helping people and this job allows me to do that and be a mother and that’s something I felt like the Lord was calling me toward. I’m really comfortable here with my work/life balance. I’m able to be active at home and in church, but I could see myself going back into clinical practice. I do miss individual counseling with children and families.”