Staff Spotlight: Eric Snow

Direct Support Professional, Specialized Services

Born and raised in Bennington, VT, Eric Snow came to work at United Counseling Service (UCS) just three months before the Covid pandemic exploded around the world. Everything felt unstable, but Eric found solid ground at UCS.

Now, Eric is a direct support professional providing specialized services at the agency’s 137 Dewey Street group home in Bennington for adults with developmental disabilities. What started as a temporary position turned into Eric’s perfect fit, four years and counting. “In four months, it will be my five-year anniversary at UCS,” says Eric. “All of the pieces ended up in the right spot, and I ended up here.”

There are a few things that keep Eric at UCS—the excitement of each new day, building relationships with the clients they serve, and a network of supportive coworkers. “I wanted to find a job that was totally different from what I was doing, and I wanted to feel like a part of a team,” says Eric.

Eric and their team provide services for two adults at the group home, which involves supporting clients for full days. It is a more intensive schedule than some of UCS’ other developmental services programs, because staff are with clients for eight to ten hours per day, but that time creates more space to learn about clients and their interests.

Eric loves the variety in each day and the opportunity to build strong positive relationships with clients. “I tend to get bored if things are exactly the same, day after day,” says Eric.

“That’s one reason I really love specialized services, because once you get to know your person, you’re just building daily what they want to do. It’s literally always exciting because you’re always doing something new.” A day at work for Eric includes teaching clients independent living skills like cooking, helping them with daily tasks, identifying activities that clients enjoy, and getting them out into the community. Each day is determined by how clients want to spend it. “I definitely enjoy that you never know what you’ll be doing each day,” says Eric. “You’ll walk in—it’s something new. The schedule and what you’ll be doing changes daily and I love that.”

In their life outside UCS, Eric enjoys traveling, exploring the outdoors and spending time with their partner of 19 years and their two small dogs. “Vermont is a beautiful state, so I enjoy hiking and getting out into nature.” When winter hits, Eric dives into the world of anime, videogames and movies. “I’m a huge movie nerd and anime fan,” says Eric. “When I have free time, that’s usually what I’m doing, bingeing on and discovering incredibly nerdy things.”

Eric is right at home in Bennington and at UCS. Though they found a great fit in specialized services, Eric says the opportunity is there for employees to move between divisions and roles until they find the right spot. It’s rare, Eric says, to find a place like that.