Recovery Innovations

Recovery Services Administrator

Recovery Innovations of California - Recovery Innovations Freise Hope House

I was born and raised in Southern California; my father was in construction and my mother in retail. Growing up my house was the one in the neighborhood where the door was always unlocked and everyone came to hang out. My parents were not only supportive to their children, but all of the children in the neighborhood. It was instilled in me early on to always help others, treat everyone with respect and be true to myself. I still hold on to these teachings. I am also a firm believer in following your dreams and choosing your own pathways in life. Thus, growing up always supported by my family and told I could do anything I dreamt of…  is probably why I love a challenge so much today. 

I attended UC Santa Barbara for my undergraduate degree and studied Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology. This had been a dream of mine since elementary school. I went on my first archaeological excavation when I was 18 years old and I was instantly hooked! For nine years I studied and worked in the field, traveled throughout Central America and the Western United States and had some amazing adventures. These experiences opened up my word view to so many different cultures and belief systems and enabled me to see the value of these beliefs without judgment. In 1999 I decided to change my career and get my Masters degree in Social Work. To me Anthropology and Social Work were very similar and I could apply all of my knowledge and life experience as an Anthropologist into working with and helping others. I attended Sacramento State University, where I began my work with children and families in a variety of settings. After I graduated, I worked with children and families in foster care and adoptions as I worked toward my licensure. Once I became an LCSW I was ready for my next challenge and began working in adult crisis mental health services.

 

While working as the Clinical Director of an inpatient Psychiatric Health Facility I began hearing about Recovery Innovations, their mission, and what they were planning to bring to the community of Kern County. When the opportunity arose for me to meet with this amazing company I could not pass it up. This was where recovery was actually happening in the true sense of the word… this was the company that was making changes in the mental health system of care one person at a time. Just like my first archaeological dig, when I first used the recovery model and saw how well it worked, I was hooked!  It is a true pleasure to work for such an innovative and caring company.