News and Notes From Around the Region

Western Region Wins Separate Grants Totaling $50,000

The Western region has won two grants that will allow it to provide behavioral health treatment for senior citizens and to help its patient assistance funds.

Kevin Parker, director of the Western region, says the Gateway Wellness Foundation gave CareNet a $30,000 grant to subsidize the counseling of senior citizens in Burke, Polk, McDowell and Rutherford counties.

A second grant, for $20,000, came from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina to help clients who are uninsured or underinsured. This money can be used for clients in a seven-county catchment area and possible other counties if the need arises. Parker says the money will be used exclusively for the region’s patient assistance fund.

Bernin’ to the Beach for Parkinson’s Annually

Deborah Morton, CareNet’s clinical quality director, and her husband, Scott, in October completed the 40-mile “Bernin’ to the Beach” bicycle ride from New Bern to Atlantic Beach to help raise money to fight Parkinson’s disease.

“My husband and I participate each year on our tandem bicycle as we have a good friend who has Parkinson’s. His daughter started the event several years ago to raise money for PD research,” Morton says.

The project has grown from a simple box on the back of Bethany Richard’s bicycle, which she rode to work, to the Bike Box Project, a 501c3 that has now raised more than $200,000 toward helping people stave off the effects of the debilitating disease through several programs at little to no cost to those it serves.

Signup for the annual ride always meets the 100-rider limit, and the community support is amazing. “Bethany and her husband, Doug, have put their heart and soul into creating nationwide awareness of PD, treatment options and furthering research. For more information, go to https://www.bikeboxproject.org.

Western Region Office Welcomes New Resident

Andrea Siegel, LCSWA, has joined the Western region office as well as CareNet’s two-year residency in psychotherapy and spirituality. Siegel decided to become a counselor after caring at home for her family members with dementia and cancer.

She trained in chaplaincy at the University of Michigan Medical Center in 2018 and 2019, holds a doctorate in Hebrew literature from Columbia University (2011) with a focus on trauma, and has taught at several universities.

Coastal Region Marks Anniversaries for Three Providers

Therapist Caryn Coons, PhD, LCMHC-S, who serves in the Wilmington, Bolivia and Harbor UMC offices of the Coastal region, recently celebrated 10 years of service with CareNet. Coons is a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, whose work with Wilmington CareNet includes supporting children, adolescents and adults of any age. Her treatment specialties are trauma (with emphasis on post-traumatic stress disorder), ADHD and neurofeedback training.

Also celebrating 10 years with the Coastal region is Kim Steed, LCMHC, who works in the Shallotte office, which was the region’s first co-located counseling practice, operating within Brunswick Family Medical Center. She specializes in family therapy but also works with individuals ranging in age from 3 through senior adulthood, who are struggling with anxiety, depression and phase-of-life issues.

Terry Tackett, LCSW and the region’s director, celebrated five years of service with CareNet. As a therapist in the Wilmington office, Tackett has worked with individuals, couples and families for over 25 years; his specialties include working with those struggling with anxiety, depression, stress management, relational and marital issues, divorce, pornography, phaseof- life transitions, grief and loss, anger issues and spiritual issues.

CareNet Fellows Receive Training in EMDR Therapy

Four CareNet fellows recently completed training in eye movement desensitization reprocessing through the The Center for Excellence in EMDR Therapy, an EMDRIA-certified course.

The fellows in the next several months will complete case study work that will complete their EMDRIA certifications. The four fellows are: John Garner, LCMHCA, of the Northwest region; Les Gura, LCMHCA, of the Piedmont Triad Region; Chrissy Holiday, LCMHC, of the Western region; and Ryan Watlington, LMFT, of the Eastern Region.

Willis Hits Employment Milestone With CareNet

Robert Willis, LMFT, director of the Northwest region office, reached 10 years of employment working with CareNet Counseling in 2021. Willis also has worked for many years with Russell Siler Jones to assist in running the residency in psychotherapy and spirituality program, having graduated from the program himself.

Western Region’s Office Manager Celebrates Five Years With CareNet

Cindy Richardson, office manager of the Western region, just received her five-year award. Center Director Kevin Parker calls Richardson “the cornerstone to our whole operation! She keeps this place running efficiently. Cindy is always available and exemplifies excellence in all of her work. She is a wealth of knowledge serving in the behavioral health profession for many years. Parker noted that Richardson also has assisted two others regions with office manager tasks and responsibilities.

Gura Serving as Practitioner Instructor for Wake Forest University

Les Gura, a therapist in the Piedmont Triad office, has become a practitioner instructor in counseling for his alma mater, Wake Forest University, from which he received his master of arts in clinical mental health counseling in 2019.