Choices Resource Guide

- Anthony Lash, CHOICES Site Manager “WITNESSING THE SMILES AND OPTIMISM THEYWALK OUT WITH IS UNLIKE ANYTHING I’VE EVER EXPERIENCED.”

Tailored Experience

Lash says any feedback received from clients allows him and other counselors the opportunity to continue improving the program and its services. “We look at how we can integrate their ideas into the topics for group sessions, for example. Those considerations might go to helping others who are in the program. If someone is struggling with relationships or emotional pain, our priority needs to be addressing that. So just because I have an agenda for the day doesn’t mean I can’t put that down to make sure I’m tailoring these sessions to what the group might need at that moment. We really are here for our clients, and since they’re the ones actually going through the program, we need to do whatever we can to make sure that process is as smooth and supportive as possible for them.” To continue improving and expanding the program, Lash says he’s working to increase client awareness within the Port Clinton community. Meetings with outside providers, upgrades to the facility, and a behavioral management initiative are all planned to create a more comprehensive layout of services. “We just want to make sure that anything our clients say they need that will assist them in their recovery, we can either directly provide them with or have the partnerships to be able to access it.”

Bridging the Gap

Before starting at CHOICES, Lash began his career in counseling working with children dealing with behavioral disorders. “I then moved up to adolescents before working my way up to drug and alcohol prevention.” The transition between fields came as he became aware of struggles with mental health within his own family. “It just happened naturally. I have a family history of behavioral issues that I was aware of when I was younger, but as I started working in fields related to mental health, I really began to realize the real need to bridge the gap between mental health and addiction.” Once beginning his current position, Lash was able to see the rewarding aspects of his daily work. “I love being a part of the transition that starts with people coming in just searching for help and the first steps to changing their lives. Seeing that search end and them leaving the program being clean and successful is a process I don’t think I’ll ever fully absorb.” Receiving gratitude from clients about their progression and successes is a part of what keeps Lash and his fellow caregivers humbled to assist in their clients’ paths to recovery. “Witnessing the smiles and optimism they walk out with is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”

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