April 1, 2019

April is Counseling Awareness Month

April is Counseling Awareness Month — a great time to recognize the importance of counseling, the passion of our counselors, and the role our counselors play in many facets of our community. With over 400 employees taking on counseling roles for our clients, we have a lot to be proud of. Every day our counselors work directly with people living with some of our community’s greatest issues – mental illness, addiction, homelessness. Their work is passion-driven and they are committed to finding the best solutions for our clients by practicing trauma-informed care and integrating their treatment plan with other relevant health needs. Our counselors work in our health centers, residential programs, and in the community.

We asked our counselors to share their “why”. Here is what some of them said:

Natika Holm: “I care about helping my residents  accomplish their goals.”

Eric Hedman: “Seeing people rediscover their self-worth is the pay-off for me.”

William Toland: “I am a counselor because I care about assisting others in making their own decisions.”

Ashley Brainard: “I am a counselor because I care about helping people discover their version of recovery.”

CJ Alicandro: “I am a counselor because I care about supporting people traditionally pushed to the fringes of society.”

Dana Parfitt: “I am a counselor because I care about healthy people, healthy families, healthy communities.”

Pari Mazhar: “I am a counselor because I care about our community, families, and children of our community.”

Jacob Reese: “I am a counselor because I care about the health of everyone in our society.”

La’Verne Adams: “I am a counselor because I care about helping others to help themselves.”

Wade McEachron: “It is uplifting to see people recuperate, gain strength and make strides.”

Karrie Mergen: “Everyone case use support at some time or another.”

Kim Haak: “It’s an honor to walk alongside someone’s road to recovery.”

If you are interested in becoming a counselor or finding out more, check out the job openings on our career page.

If you need to meet with a counselor, call our intake and referral line 503-674-7777 to schedule an appointment.

 — written by Jennifer Moffatt, photos by Emma Hodges, Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare Communications 

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!