Journeys Issue #002 | February 2014

Journeys
The Official
Newsletter of
Maria Droste
Counseling Center
Issue #002
Trends: What We See
One unique aspect that sets Maria Droste
Counseling Center apart from other counseling
centers is our intake department. Our intake
counselors are warm, knowledgeable, and
welcoming. They are familiar with the schedules,
specialties, personalities, and accepted insurance
of all members of The Therapist Group as well as
our interns and are skilled at matching each client
with the right therapist.
When a client calls our intake department, they
are guided through an assessment to determine
if our therapists have the right skills to work with
them. If not, we refer them to other organizations
that we believe would be a better fit, so they
can get the help they need. Sue Kamler, Director
of Intake Services said, “In intake, we get the
opportunity to help someone feel
like they’ve been heard, and that in
and of itself gives people hope.”
Last year, the most prevalent
problems for which callers sought
help were depression and anxiety.
Sue said one of the main causes
for this is chronic or long-term
unemployment. “The pressure of
still being out of work may not
have presented with depression
and anxiety a year ago, but if
they are still unemployed, that
depression becomes greater, and
the person’s ability to cope breaks
down.”
Continued on Page 4
Treatment Area of Clients in 2012
Stress
3.7%
Trauma
7.9%
Addiction Anger
3.7%
3.4%
Anxiety
12.5%
Relationship
Issues
23.9%
Other
5.5%
Childhood
Issues
8.7%
Grief/Loss
3.4%
Colorado’s Center for Mental Health
Depression
27.3%
From The Executive Director
A Lifelong Journey of Learning
Mental health is talked
about more now than ever
before. Due to the high
profile media coverage of
the shootings in Aurora
and at Sandy Hook
elementary school, mental
health is now the subject
of discussions at national,
state, and community
levels. But what are people
saying? How are you talking about it with your
friends and neighbors?
Albert Einstein once said, "Intellectual growth
should commence at birth and cease only
at death.” We at Maria Droste Counseling
Center recognize that lifelong learning is a key
component in the mental health field. Just as
lawyers need to continually educate themselves
about new laws, therapists need to stay up to
date on the nuances of how people connect
with one another and communicate.
Are we talking as if mental health issues are still
something that “happens to someone else?”
Is our attitude that “Yes it’s important, but it’s
not a problem in my family?” The reality is that
psychiatric conditions, which include everything
from mental illness to emotional problems and
depression, are common and will affect 46% of
adults at some point in their lifetime. The stigma
around mental illness and emotional problems
is the number one reason that many people,
especially men, do not seek help and therefore
suffer from emotional pain, depression, and other
complex conditions.
But we know that “mental health is fundamental
to health.” This is one of the key messages
conveyed in the first ever Surgeon General’s
report on the topic of mental health and mental
illness released in 1999.
One of the dangers of mental health issues
being linked to these high profile cases is that
people inaccurately believe that
those with mental illnesses are
dangerous. Multiple studies have
shown that this is not true. “People
with psychiatric disabilities are
far more likely to be victims than
perpetrators of violent crime"
(Appleby, et al., 2001). Inaccurate
information leads to more stigma,
which in turn prevents people from
accessing the help they need.
Finally, there is a documented
shortage of affordable mental
health care in our community. This
has been true since Maria Droste
Counseling Center was founded in
1989, and it continues to be true
today.
My hope is that as a community,
we can realize that mental health
care is a community responsibility
and impacts our community
health. Instead of isolating or
dehumanizing individuals who are
suffering with mental health issues,
we need to look at ways we can
respond as a community to make
appropriate care accessible and
affordable.
I am truly grateful to all of you who
help us work toward this important
goal.
- Linda E. McKinzie
One way we support lifelong learning
and continued education is through our
commitment to training, not only for those
who are working toward a degree, but also for
those who have already achieved a degree and
are looking to get licensed or become more
proficient in a particular area. We refer to those
who fall into this category as externs. Our extern
program is vital to our organization because
externs help us serve additional clients, many
of whom would not be seen within our agency
without this program.
Along with seeing clients, externs also volunteer
for the agency. For many externs, this means
working in our intake department. Kim Fossel, a
previous intern who has been an extern with us
since June 2012, said, “As an extern, I really enjoy
not only the opportunity to work with children,
adolescents, and adults, but also working in
intake screening potential clients, assigning
clients to therapists, and offering referrals to
Ann Gushurst
Gutterman Griffiths &
Powell, PC
James Herbert Williams, Ph.D.
Graduate School of Social Work,
University of Denver
Grover Hall, Secretary
Lockheed Martin, Retired
Edward P. Havranek, M.D.
Denver Health Medical Center
Linda E. McKinzie
Maria Droste Counseling Center
David Swenson, Treasurer
SRS Capital Advisors, Inc.
Grayson Hill
SolomonHill
Jo Brilhart, RN, Psy.D
David Telpner
Maria Droste Counseling Center Telecom Efficient, Inc.
Colorado’s Center for Mental Health
However, not all externs work in
our intake department. Elizabeth
Klaers, a previous intern who
has been an extern with us since
September 2012, sees clients in our
Options program, co-facilitates
graduate level intern groups, and
assists with fund development
and grant writing. She explained,
“Gaining clinical hours toward
licensure is part of my professional
goal, but the draw for me was the
#6 the externship at Maria Droste
way
Counseling Center meets my need
for professional development."
In addition to seeing clients and
volunteering for the agency, a
key component of our training
program is providing supervision
as well as access to ongoing
in-services. Elizabeth said, “The
dynamic responsibilities and
unique challenges faced by
#7
psychotherapists
and social
workers seeking licensure
demands the need for quality
supervision in clinical settings.
"The supervision I receive is truly
exceptional. I am achieving my
goal to become an effective
and skilled licensed clinical
social worker; I feel so fortunate
to#8
be here. I have deepened
my understanding of what is
most effective when working
with clients, received quality
supervision and gained valuable
non-profit leadership mentoring.”
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Joel Ramiro Chapa, Psy.D.,
President
Kaiser Permanente, Retired
clients who are unable to be seen
at Maria Droste. I enjoy helping
people
take their first step in their
#5
healing journey.”
Kim Fossel, working in our Intake Department
1355 South Colorado Blvd. Suite C-100 Denver, CO 80222-3305
Phone: 303-756-9052 • MariaDroste.org
We highly value our externs, as
we couldn’t serve nearly as many
clients without their hard work and
dedication to our mission.
3
Trends: What We See
Brandon's Story
Continued from Page 1
Brandon is an energetic eightyear-old in the third grade. He was
initially referred to Karen, one of
our Children First counselors, by his
teacher. She said Brandon would
leave the room without permission
for extended periods of time as
well as clog toilets with paper
towels “on purpose!”
Intake also noticed an increase in calls about
relationship issues. Claudia Gray, Intake
Manager, said, “This year in particular, we
had a lot of people requesting couples and
family therapy for a variety of reasons.” One of
those reasons is the correlation between the
economic downturn and communication. Sue
said, “If couples are already struggling with
communication skills, and you add the stress
and struggle of economic and financial worries,
the weaknesses in communication become
more pronounced. Couples will start to seek
out counseling to help them find better ways to
communicate with each other.”
Sue explained that the calls coming in last
year also seemed to be more complex. “For
example, someone will call in saying they are
experiencing depression and anxiety, but
during the assessment process, we discover
a history of childhood abuse or domestic
violence. The depression is actually secondary
to unresolved issues of loss or abuse.”
In 2012, our intake department also noticed
a change in why and how people are finding
us. Some organizations offering mental health
services closed last year, so people who may
have been receiving services elsewhere are now
seeking services at Maria Droste.
Also, more people are using the
internet as a way to find resources,
and with the development of our
new website, potential clients can
find us more easily.
They can also use our website
to find a therapist through our
online directory or take our online
mental health screening, which
can be a great first step in helping
them discover if mental health
counseling might be helpful.
In looking ahead to 2013, we
expect that the request for our
services will continue to grow.
Recent traumatic events like the
Aurora theater and Sandy Hook
shootings have brought mental
health to the forefront of people’s
minds. “Mental illness is now in the
media and awareness is increasing.
Because of that, more people may
be seeking help for a loved one or
friend,” said Claudia.
When people do decide to seek
help, our intake department will be
there to guide them through the
process.
2012 By the Numbers
2,155 - the number of calls to our intake line in 2012
557 - calls screened and placed with a therapist
667 - the number of clients served in 2012 through our Children First program, which
serves the unique mental health needs of children and their families with on-site
counseling services at 20 local elementary schools.
572 - the number of clients served in 2012 through our Options program, which
serves adults, children, and families who lack health insurance, have inadequate
health insurance for mental health issues, or have limited income to access
counseling through the private sector.
42 - the number of clients served in 2012 through our Survivor's Mental Health
Program (SMHP), which provides comprehensive mental health care to adult
survivors of violence who have serious mental health problems.
Colorado’s Center for Mental Health
When Brandon started to meet
with Karen, he would rarely make
eye contact. He would make
up stories that he hoped would
impress her. She said, “He once told
me his family was on the TV show
Jersey Shore and that his mom was
Snooki!”
Over time, Brandon became
more relaxed around Karen and
started to open up about his
anger and what was bothering
him. He admitted that making up
stories had made him feel more
important. One session, while
they were working on identifying
different emotions, Karen asked
Brandon what it looked like for him to be angry.
He replied, “Well … I used to clog toilets … but I
don’t do that anymore!”
Brandon’s teacher reported that his classroom
behavior has improved and no toilet clogging
incidents have been reported. Brandon’s selfesteem seems to have greatly improved, and he
no longer causes disruptions in the classroom.
Thank You
We want to thank all of our foundation and corporation major donors who
contributed to Maria Droste Counseling Center in 2012!
Augustana Lutheran
Church
A.V. Hunter Trust
Caring For Colorado
Foundation
Christ on the Mountain
Catholic Church
Colorado Rockies Charity
Fund
The Denver Foundation
Gannet Foundation
Jay and Rose Philips Family
Foundation of Colorado
John G. Duncan Charitable
Trust
Loretta and Leigh Norgren
Foundation
Level 3 Communications
Nathan B. and Florence R.
Burt Foundation
Walter and Elizabeth Lipe
Trust
Most Precious Blood
Catholic Church
Queen of Peace Catholic
Church
1355 South Colorado Blvd. Suite C-100 Denver, CO 80222-3305
Phone: 303-756-9052 • MariaDroste.org
Rose Community
Foundation
Sisters of Mercy West
Midwest Community
Spirit of Christ Catholic
Community
St. John’s Episcopal
Cathedral
Van Fleet Foundation
Virginia W. Hill Foundation
Wells Fargo Foundation
Youth Roots
5
Thank You
We want to thank all of our generous supporters who contributed to Maria Droste
Counseling Center in 2012!
Norman & Margaret
Aarestad
Lisa Albertson
Lori Anastos
Jim Anderson
Kristin Anderson
Susan Anderson
Alan Arbuckle
David Archuleta
Kevin Armstrong
Marlene Astran
Lawrence Aubrecht
Ellisa Augello
Dusti & Trey Austin
Patricia Baca
Christina
BalderramaDurbin
Sharon Bargetto
Deborah Beck
Sarita Behr
Margaret Bell
Susie Bernardi
Deborah Bishop
Sue Bishop
Cammie Blais
Tami Blassius
Rebecca Blondo
Janet Borelli
Rebecca Boyle
Alan Brandt
Matthew Bright
Joanne & Ben
Brilhart
Jim Burnik
Dawn Caillouett
Julius P. Cardosi
Jenny Carter
Joel & Lorna
Chapa
Kenji O Chapa
Cheryl CharisGraves
Teresa Christensen
Charles & Janice
Collins
Coleen Collins
Vicki Conger
Brendalee Connors
Rina Coury
John Crowe
Karen Cumbo
Ruth Dastin
Bradford Davey
George Davis
Elizabeth Dickerhoff
Emory Dinner
Maureen Dobel &
Judy Hughes
Josiah & Vivian
Dodds
Joan Donley
Cindy & Ernest
Duckworth
Deborah Duemling
Jeffery & Therese
Ellery
Virginia Eyre
John Farrell
Steve Farthing
Angela Fasci
Andrea Fey
Suzann Ficco
Warren & Mary
Finch
Helen Fink
Katy Fink Johnson
Tami Forero
Patrick Foss
Jon & Siri Fossel
Kathy & Jim Foster
Jill Fox
Nancy Fox
Susan Fraley
Seth Franck
David Franklin
Barb Fraser
A. Marquis Gacy
Edee Gail
Clara Garey
Lucy Ann Garrett &
Fran Schroeder
Lester & Joan
Garrison
Jama Goers
Frank & Jerry Gold
Allison Gomer
Susan Gonzalez
Laura Goodey
Julie Graf
Karlene Grange
Anne Guarnera
Christine Gurevitz
Ann Gushurst
Grover Hall
Joseph H. Halloran
Virginia Hamby
Mary Hamilton
Suzanne Hamm
Cathy Hanisits &
Lynn Imig
Wendy Hanophy
Lonnie Hanzon
Russell K. Haskell
Ashley Hausman
Constance Hauver
Ed Havranek
Steve Heinrich
Margaret & Ralph
Henderson
Margit & Stalker
Henderson
Elizabeth Hermes
Kathleen Higgins
Robert & Sarah
Hite
Melissa Hogan
Brenda Hollis
Karla D. Holt
Kurtis Hooley
Matthew Hoovler
Christine Horn
Thomas Hovorka
Walter & Georgia
Imhoff
Carole F. Ivanoff
Kirk & Nicki Johnson
Anne Jones
Steven Jones
Susan M. Kamler
Warren Kendrick
Coleen King
Leigh Ann Kingman
& Robert Wardlaw
Patti Klinge &
Connie McArthur
Greg Koenig
Robert Koons
Larry Krug Jr.
Tracy Krug
Chad Krull
Michelle Kubic
Don LaBerenz
Bob & Jean
LaCrosse
Karen & Alan Lenzi
Ryan Lepro
Chris Lewis
Carrie Lindberg
Virginia Linscott
Julie Lohre
Verne Lundquist
Lynn Maedel &
Barbara
Armendariz
Darlene Malenfant
David Malenfant
Connie Manley
Stephanie McCabe
Elizabeth McKenzie
Sarah W McKenzie
Susan McKenzie
Linda E. McKinzie
Leonard & Ellen
McKinzie
Maria McLain Cox
Kirk Mease
Herzl & Hazel
Melmed
Celeste Melville
Ty Messerli
James Mick
Melissa Moffit
Pouria Montazeri
Jennifer Moore
Deborah Morris
Sandra Mortensen
Casey Murphy
Patricia Murphy
Alice NeSmith
Julie Ann Nice
Phoebe Norton
Colorado’s Center for Mental Health
Stewart Nyholm
Chloe Oberman
Stephen & Kathy
O'Leary
Linda Osterlund
Joanna Panosky
Jeffery Parker
Robert Paulson
Rachel L. Pidgeon
Linda Pihlak
Loren & Shelley
Pinkernell
Joe Pinson
Fred & Rosemary
Pittroff
Amber Pitts
Gary Poeschl
Ashley Portmann
Devon Puleo
Caryn Pulliam
Joyce E. Radcliffe
Patricia Ramlet
Jim Ramsey
Christina Ransford
Lisa Ransford
Julie Rath
Janet Read
Linda Reekie
Linda Reinstein
Cassi Ricks
Victoria Riddell
Carol Robalin
Lawrence Rodgers
Jerome Rohr
Marci Rosenthal
Suzanne
Rosenwasser
Lynda Ross
Lynn Ross
Martin Rubin
Michele & Paul Santi
Michael Saracusa
Jeannie Saur
Janice Schlickman
Brian Schmalstich
Larry & Maria Seid
Charles Sharp
Pamela Sharp
Sonja Shepherd
Patricia & John
Shively
Linda Shroyer
Melinda Sigle
Joel & Nancy
Silverman
Clorinda Smith
Kyleigh Smith
Barb Smith
Phillip & Margaret
Soran
Anne Spalding
Charles Specht
Molly Sprung
Gayle Stallings
Anne Stedman
Margy Stewart
Ann Stolfa
William Strauss
Jodi Stromgren
Kim Stromgren
Kris Stromgren
Jean Suffin
Elizabeth Surles
David Swenson
Ronald L. Swenson
Leslie Swid
Kesia Szydlowski
Brad Tavares
David Telpner
Flora L. Telpner
Kristi Theis
Mary Jane Thelen
Vie Thorgren
Debra Thorson
Vicki Tilden
Giles D. Toll
Tanya Torres
Nico Toutenhoofd
Sonja Toutenhoofd
John & Nadine
Trapold
Rachel Urbina
Annie Van Dusen
Larry Van Fleet
Verne Voss
Emelda Bing Walker
Mary Katharine
Walker
Susan & Paul
Walker
Daniel Walsh
David Wann
Carole Ward
Amy Weinstein
Darcy Weiser
Katie Weiss
Thomas Weiss &
Mary Muldoon
Marsha Wiggins
Judy Wilkinson
Ryan Wilson
Anthony Wojcinski
Kristine M. Wolfe
Richard Workman
Matt Worswick
Frances & Miguel
Zamora
Bernard E. Zeligman
Gary Alexander, MS, LMFT, LAC Susan Anderson, MA, LPC
Kate Arellano, LPC, LMFT
Janet Borelli, MSW, LCSW
Jo Brilhart, RN, Psy.D
Clare Carr, LPC, CAC II
Peter Conti, LCSW, CAC III
Cindy Duckworth, MA, LPC
Claudia Gray, MA, LPC
Kirk Johnson, MA, LPC, LAC, NCC
Sue Kamler, MA, LPC
Beth Kelley, MA, LPC
Jeanne Kiddney, M.Ed., LPC
Karen Lenzi, MA, LPC
Chris Lewis, Ed.S., LPC
Lorraine Lipson, M.Ed., LPC
Linda McKinzie, LCSW
Hazel Field Melmed, LCSW
Laura Pentoney, MA, LPC
Lisa Ransford, LPC, CAC II
Lorrie Schroffel, LCSW
Joel Silverman, MA, LPC
Karen Tillman, Ph.D.
Nancy Vega, MA, LPC
Susan Walker, MHR, LMFT
Judy Wilkinson, LCSW
Debbie Zucker, MSW, LCSW
STAFF
Judy Wilkinson, Director of Intern Education
Julie Chrzanowski, Director of Children First
Sue Kamler, Director of Intake Services
Claudia Gray, Intake Co-Manager
Dawn Goers, Intake Co-Manager
Jo Brilhart, Director of SMHP
Cassi Ricks, Communications Manager
Derek Linscott, Administrative Assistant
Lynn Ross, Finance
Linda E. McKinzie, Executive Director
1355 South Colorado Blvd. Suite C-100 Denver, CO 80222-3305
Phone: 303-756-9052 • MariaDroste.org
Team Mind Body and Sole, benefiting
Maria Droste Counseling Center,
will be participating in the Sports
Authority Rock 'n' Roll Denver
Marathon and 1/2 Marathon October
22, 2013.
Last year, members of Team Mind
Body and Sole covered over 350 miles
through the bike course, marathon,
half marathon, and relay, and they
raised over $14,000 for Maria Droste
Counseling Center.
Join Our Team!
If you are interested in walking or
running the 1/2 marathon relay, 1/2
marathon, or full marathon, join our
team. We will provide you with a FREE
training coach to help you reach your
race goals.
We ask each participant to set a
fundraising goal of $1,000. Once you
raise $400, we will pay your race entry
fee. We will also provide you with a
fundraising coordinator to help you
reach your fundraising goals.
If you are interested in running,
walking, cycling, or volunteering,
please contact Cassi Ricks at 303-8674609 or [email protected].
Golf Classic
The second annual David L. Swenson
Charity Golf Classic, benefiting Maria
Droste Counseling Center, will be
held Monday, September 9, 2013.
The event will include a 4-person
scramble, dinner, silent auction,
and an awards reception. If you are
interested in participating, please
contact Cassi Ricks at 303-867-4609 or
[email protected].
7
25th
Anniversary
In 2014 you will be
invited to join with us in
celebrating our
Maria Droste Counseling Center
was founded in 1989 to bridge
the gaps in available counseling
services for underserved
populations in the Denver area.
Since its inception, and with
your support, the organization
has grown in targeted ways to
meet significant, unmet mental
health needs in the community.
24 Years of
Service
1355 South Colorado Blvd. Suite C-100
Denver, CO 80222-3305
P: 303-756-9052 • MariaDroste.org
Maria Droste Services of Colorado
Non-Profit
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