OPRA Direct Support Professional Award

This 2024 OPRA Direct Support Professional award is devoted to recognizing the outstanding performance and dedication of those who are on the front lines every day, helping to make a real difference in the lives of real people. Their hard work, devotion, and high-quality direct support keeps the system running smoothly when all else may be in chaos. Their value is inestimable. She is the winner representing OPRA District 7. 

Felicia Contreras is a Behavior Therapist at Boundless and is a living example of excellence in direct support professional.

Felicia is committed to the young people she serves. For nine years, she’s worked with a young man in the community 20 hours per week. She never calls off or misses a session and is a consistent source of support in the client's life. She has adapted her services as her client has entered adulthood and provides services in both home and community settings to increase independence across settings, community engagement and communication skills.

The young man Felicia serves has very limited verbal skills. However, when he learns Felicia is coming to his home, he smiles and gets very excited. When she asks him questions, he’s quick to utilize his communication tablet because he wants to engage with her. His parents report that he doesn’t behave this way for others. She’s encouraged this individual to live boundlessly, taking him to local recreation centers and helping him achieve his personal goal of learning to lift weights. It’s clear Felicia is inspiring her client to achieve as much as possible and make her proud.

Her client’s mother, Janet, shared that she doesn’t know what she’d do without Felicia’s support. As a mom, she has peace of mind when Alex spends time with Felicia. As Janet shared with us, “I trust her completely. I trust her more than I do most of my family members.”

Felicia serves more than one individual. Another person she works with enjoys basketball. Felicia found a way to take him out to various basketball games so he can enjoy the experience of being a fan. She spends a great deal of time getting to know the young people she serves, tailoring her interactions with them in a way they feel seen and heard.

Some of the other comments her coworkers and supervisors have said are:

• She is the ultimate trainer, reliable, and flexible! She is welcoming to all and always has a smile on her face.
• She still has one of the best attitudes no matter who she's working with after all these years! 
• Felicia is always showing compassion for the people we serve, is a team player, flexible with anything thrown her way, and is a great role model to our new hires. 
• Her positivity, flexibility and work ethic are amazing!
• She works with any consumer with a smile on her face. She is always positive and looks for the best in every situation. She is a great motivator and always puts our consumer's safety first.

Felicia is an asset to our agency and to the people she serves and is enthusiastic, engaged, compassionate and caring in her work.

In a difficult field that struggles with turnover, Felicia is a wonderful example of a committed direct support professional. “She doesn’t give up on these kids. She sticks with it and never turns her back on them no matter how difficult it is,” Janet said.