Greg Bell’s journey is a story of both adventure and homecoming. As the new Director of the Children’s Harbor Family Center, Greg brings a wealth of experience shaped by years of dedicated service—first in Alabama and then in the remote villages of Alaska. Now back in his home state, he’s eager to use his expertise to support families facing medical challenges.
Greg’s passion for helping others has been a guiding force in his career. After earning his degree from the University of Montevallo, he began working at Children’s of Alabama, where he served in various roles across multiple units. Driven to deepen his impact, he pursued an Ed.S. in Agency Counseling, becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Registered Play Therapist. Yet, his desire to expand his horizons led him to an unexpected opportunity—working with the Yupik Eskimo population in rural Alaska. What was meant to be a short-term adventure turned into 15 years of service, reinforcing Greg’s belief in the power of community and resilience—values that align perfectly with Children’s Harbor’s mission.
Before diving into your current role, tell us about your time in Alaska.
I moved to Alaska because I wanted to work with a different culture, and I was very interested in providing services to the underprivileged. I looked at a lot of different countries to work in and just happened to find a job in very rural Alaska with the Yupik Eskimo population. Because I stayed in the United States, I did not have to transfer any of my certifications or licensure, but I was still working in a very remote area. I lived in a small Yupik Eskimo village, and we serviced an area about the size of Oregon. Alaska is a huge state! We served a region with about 60,000 people spread across vast, isolated areas. We travelled to about 53 different villages, they were all land locked, so we flew by plane pretty much everywhere we went. It was just a wonderful experience to work with a different culture and experience their lives first-hand.
Touch on the parallels that you saw in your work there that align with Children’s Harbor’s services and mission.
When I moved to Alaska, I was struck by how, despite the differences, the lifestyle there felt familiar. Rural communities, whether in Alaska or Alabama, are deeply rooted in family and a strong sense of community. I lived in villages of just 100 to 800 people, where people relied on one another every day. Family was very important; they had to rely on each other, and community was very important. That is kind of where I came from and I think that is part of what the Family Center and Children’s Harbor is about: taking care of families and helping them during their time of need. We always hear that saying, in crisis is when people come together, and that’s when you see families and communities supporting each other. That’s what I see with Children’s Harbor: they realize the importance of family and they want to help them. We do that in a lot of different ways. We know how hard it can be for families to take care of each other or themselves when there is a major illness. We want to provide services that can help support the family structure. Sometimes, families just need a moment to step away—whether to take a break, make important phone calls, pay bills, or handle personal matters. We offer salon services so people can get their haircut, or they can maybe get a massage here—all free of charge. We have resources that people might not be aware of; if people are not working but they are still trying to take care of family, we can help them find resources to help them pay their bills, to help them support themselves while they are traveling back and forth. We know how overwhelming it can be to care for a loved one with a serious illness, and our goal is to support families in every way we can.”
What drew you to accept the Family Center Director position at Children’s Harbor?
I remember a long time ago, was working at Children’s Hospital when Children’s Harbor was being built. It was always a great place; we even brought our patients over here and let them experience some of the things the Family Center offered. I was always interested in that, even from a long time ago. I moved away, I came back, this position was available, and I’ve always wanted to be part of that, so I was very happy to be able to work here. I’m so proud to be here… I’m very privileged and honored to work with such qualified people and I’m looking forward to seeing how we develop.
Thinking about the future, what do you predict will bring you the most fulfillment at Children’s Harbor?
I really enjoy working a variety of people… One of the things that I look forward to seeing is how the staff matures and becomes who they want to be while providing our services to others. We have a lot of very experienced staff and clinicians, as well as some new clinicians, so it’s very exciting to see people working together to develop those skills and become better therapists, counselors, and at taking care of other people.
Share a fun fact about yourself.
Well, I love to work, that’s pretty boring, but I do believe in an integrated approach to healthcare, so during all of my therapy I also became a massage therapist! I did massage therapy for several years and even took that to Alaska with me and did massages in some of the rural areas. They believe in a very holistic approach to healthcare too, so it fit in really well. That was just a fun thing that I did on the side!
We heard you authored a book. We didn’t know you were an author! Tell us about it and your passion for writing.
I did write a book; wrote it a long time ago actually, in 2006. I wrote that initially as an assignment for my play therapy class that I was taking. I used inspiration from a case that I was working on, and with a lot of different cases actually of abuse. The story The Flying Penguin is about a penguin who has become fostered; he must learn how to live in a foster home with different types of people—or different types of birds. The metaphor is about learning how to deal with abuse, being alone, being bullied, and then finding the strength within to cope with it all. I sat on it for a long time. When I wrote it, a lot of people liked it, then I shared it with others and then they liked it! Eventually, I think during COVID, I submitted it to get it published. It took a few years to finally finish, but it is a therapeutic metaphor for dealing with traumatic abuse, disassociation and all of the other themes that I mentioned before.
We have a lot of amenities here at the Family Center. Do you ever play basketball on your lunch break?
Well,used to love basketball, but the last time I played, it was very obvious that those days are gone! I do love the 80’s arcade games, so I play Pac-Man and Galaga when I need a mental break. It’s fun seeing parents or grandparents play. They’ll say, “Hey I wanna go play the Pac-Man,” and I’m like, “Let’s go do it!” Recently, some UAB football players visited and played Pac-Man with a young patient. Moments like that make this space even more special.
What is something people may not know about the Family Center?
A lot people that come here are looking for one specific thing, then when they get here, they don’t realize what all we offer. It’s very special that we can offer that moment of respite. They can really get away and take care of themselves; we have a place for them to sleep! When you’re working with an ill child and you’re staying with them, you don’t get a lot of time to take care of yourself. You can come over here, take a nap during the day or get away from family, you can shower, freshen up if you need to, and just take the time to really take care of yourself.
How does Children’s Harbor fulfill its mission?
Above all, everyone here truly cares. We provide emotional support, counseling, and resources for families navigating a child’s illness. Sometimes that means offering respite—a chance to get a haircut, take a shower, or simply step away and take a break for a bit. But more than that, we create a sense of continuity. That’s the heart of Children’s Harbor—being a constant source of support for families, being part of that family and that extended family. When patients come in and are delighted to see a staff member that they’ve worked with for years, they can share that history. In the brief time that I’ve been here, it’s amazing to see and how much strength that gives the family; it’s nice to see that familiar face when they walk through the door.
If you had to pick one word to describe Children’s Harbor, what is it?
If I had to pick one word to describe Children’s Harbor, I would have to say caring! Everybody cares. Just this week I saw a patient come in—I think he was 12 years old. He and his mom approached a staff member who had been seeing them for years and it was like an extended family. They were all talking about stuff that happened a long time ago, it was nice to see that bond and the attitudes that our staff have here in caring for the people that come here.
