Substance abuse and other addictions treatment is now available in northwest Kansas!
MEET OUR STAFF
JOYCE KINDERKNECHT, LAC
Joyce comes to us with over 34 years of addiction experience. She's been where you are right now. She completed a 30-day inpatient treatment stay at St. Johns Chemical Dependency Treatment Center in 1985 for alcohol and drug addiction. Three months later, she started work as a unit secretary for St. John’s new inpatient branch at the old St. Anthony’s Hospital in Hays, Ks. During that time, she studied psychology and addictions through Washburn University, Barton County Community College, and Fort Hays State University. After completing 4,000 hours of supervised internship under on-unit addictions counselors, studying and passing the NAADAC (National Association for Addiction Professionals) exam she qualified for Level 1 (CADC) as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor in 1986-87. She was among the first 200 certified addictions counselors in Kansas. She went on to pass the Level II NAADAC exam in 1988 and was given the CADC II credential, with 13,440 supervised internship hours total. She worked as an intervention specialist and aftercare coordinator for St. John’s until 1991. She then founded and operated an outpatient treatment facility, with several staff, in Hays from 1992 to 2000, also founding the first partial day treatment in Western Kansas for men and women. She took some time off to study and complete the required tests in 2011 and BSRB (Behavioral Science and Regulatory Board) credentialed her as LAC (Licensed Addictions Counselor). She founded AIC in 2002. She is excited to join High Point Advocacy in Colby to provide addictions services to Colby and surrounding areas.
Ryan White, KCPM
Ryan is our Kansas Certified Peer Mentor who works with our male clients who battle addiction. Ryan battled addiction himself for over a decade, but is now living in long-term recovery, with over 3 1/2 years of sobriety now. He has been incarcerated numerous times because of his substance abuse issues, been to inpatient rehab, and has seen his close relationships deteriorate during his active addiction. Since getting clean, he was promoted to assistant manager at his other job, became a first-time father 2 years ago, and hopes to soon purchase his first home. Ryan is available for all of our regular peer mentoring and advocacy services, and his specialty is incarceration issues that often accompany addiction. Ryan is excited to help other men in their journeys from active addiction, to sobriety, and into long-term recovery.
To Be Determined, Female KCPM
Our future female Kansas Certified Peer Mentor/Peer Specialist will work with our female clients who battle substance abuse.
Sherry White, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/ FOUNDER/FAMILY RECOVERY ADVOCATE/KCPM/KCPS
Sherry has over 12 years of experience of dealing with familial substance abuse issues. She knows how it feels to get that dreaded phone call, or worse, NOT hearing from your loved one and then have your mind go to dark places, wondering if the worst had finally happened. She understands the anxiety and depression of having had your hopes rise with each promise of sobriety, only to have your heart broken again with relapse. She realizes how a family member gets sucked into being manipulated, stolen from, and lied to. She can relate to the desperation and hopelessness of wondering how you could save your loved ones. And she also understands the unspoken guilt-ridden relief that comes with your loved one being incarcerated, because then, at least, you knew where your loved one was, and he/she was alive and and that he/she was safe. But it's not all gloom and doom. Sherry has also been blessed to see her loved ones get clean and sober. She knows that, given the right recovery tools, resources, and the much-needed emotional support, long-term recovery is possible! Sherry looks forward to working personally with families to support your efforts to maintain or re-establish positive familial relationships, and realize long-term recovery for your entire family. She will be teaching our pattern-changing classes to the families to teach you how to set clear and safe boundaries with your addict and how to NOT enable your loved ones. She will also teach you a new way to connect to your loved ones by using the highly acclaimed CRAFT program, which boasts a whopping 70% success rate (the highest of any program out there!) of getting your loved one into some kind of treatment.