Mae Maurer-Rogers, BS LADC MSW LICSW, Owner/Director is a magna cum laude graduate of St. Cloud State University where she received a Master’s of Social Work and Bachelor of Science with dual degrees in Social Work and Criminal Justice Studies. She received her Chemical Dependency Counselor certification from Ridgewater College. She is a MN Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC). She is one of the program’s members of the Stearns County Drug Court Team. Mae is EMDR trained and specializes in trauma related disorders and life events. She has specialized training in domestic violence. She was a MN Child Welfare Scholar and has extensive training, education and experience working with children and families. Mae fully understands the complexity of the various systems that individuals encounter when battling addiction and rebuilding their lives.
Deborah Haines, Assistant Program Director & CPRS, is a retired Alcohol & Drug Counselor in Training (ADC-T) and received her Chemical Dependency Counselor certification from Ridgewater College. She oversees all areas of the program including sober housing. She is also a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist with the MN Certification Board. She shares life experiences that can never be learned in a classroom. She has overcome her own suffering from addiction and models a lifestyle of compassion, strength, and courage to others. Her wisdom, grace, faith, and honesty will inspire you to join her in the life-changing journey of recovery.
Alex Maurer, LSW, LADC, is a graduate of St. Cloud State University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Social Work and minors in Criminal Justice Studies and Human Relations. He received his Chemical Dependency certification at Ridgewater College. He is a MN Licensed Social Worker (LSW) and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC). He is one of the program’s members of the Stearns County Drug Court Team. He co-facilitates the domestic violence offender program. His lifelong passion for helping others has led him to the world of addiction. He finds renewed energy in watching people change their lives through recovery.
Tricia Pirsig, BA BS LADC, is a graduate from St. Cloud State University where she received her Bachelor’s in Art and Bachelor’s in Science with several degrees in Applied Psychology, Human Biology, Community Psychology and Addiction Counseling. She is one of the program’s members of the Stearns County Drug Court Team. She has extensive professional experience working in the field of addiction and corrections. Her passion for the addiction field came about through working with the youth in correctional settings and witnessing family discord and dysfunction due to substances. Her strengths shine through her strong knowledge of the cognitive behavioral and biophysiological/organic components of addiction. She loves to education others about the science behind the brain disease of addiction.
Kelsey Nehring, BS, LADC, is a Paynesville High School graduate and has lived in Paynesville most of her life. She received her Bachelor of Science with a degree in Community and Public Health from South Dakota State University. She received her alcohol and drug certification at Bethel University. She has experience as a Treatment Coordinator and assists clients with referral support to access various services including economic and housing resources, mental health and medical services, prenatal care, and other treatment plan related needs. She is a person in recovery and has a strong passion for helping others find faith in a Higher Power. She encourages others to surrender to the process of change and believe in restoration through recovery.
Nanette Foreman, BS, ADC intern, is a native of Chicago that made rural MN her home for the last 30 years. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Community Psychology from St Cloud State University. She is currently finishing her internship to obtain her Addiction Counseling degree at St Cloud State University. She intends to acquire her LADC after graduation and continue working with Recovery Center as a counselor. She spends a lot of her free time serving as a volunteer for various non-profit organizations. She believes helping others is her true passion and finds it brings joy to her life. She is a person in long-term recovery, and she wants to use her own personal journey to recovery to help others learn to live the life they deserve. She wants to help others find their Higher Power and walk with them through their transformation.
Courtney Magedanz, Office Manager & Billing Coordinator, is a resident of the Paynesville area. She has several years of experience in customer service and management positions. She handles all aspects of the operation of the Business Office and financial records for sober housing. She is a quick learner with a positive team player attitude that enhances our program’s overall efficiency in helping others. She handles all insurance and billing issues and provides administrative support to all clinical staff to achieve exceptional client care. Her kind nature is contagious, and she makes it easy for others to ask her for help. Her knowledge and “can-do” attitude are valuable assets to the program. She is always willing to lend a helping hand and smile to clients and/or staff.
Diane Schultz is a teacher employed with Recovery Center to teach our GED program. She is a graduate of Paynesville. She received her AA degree from Ridgewater College and her Bachelor of Science in Education from St. Cloud State University. She has spent her career working as an educator in the Paynesville District in several areas ranging from Head Start/Preschool, 1st and 4th Grade and Title One Interventionist to now a local community GED teacher. Her true passion is helping people learn so she decided to expand her teaching skills from young students to include adults. The expressions on the faces of the GED adult students and knowing that they are on their way to making many improvements in their lives is such a rewarding feeling for her!
Helen Storkamp, CPRS, is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist with the MN Certification Board. She has worked throughout her life in various service-related fields and finds great joy in being of service to others. She is employed with the Paynesville Schools in addition to working with people in recovery. She has lived in the Paynesville area for about 40 years and knows the local resources available. She is an active member of the AA/NA/Recovery community. Her own recovery stretches over decades, and she loves serving as a role model to others. She is very passionate about supporting people during their own recovery journey and wellness restoration.
Tracy Christiansen, CPRS, is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist with the MN Certification Board. She received her CNA certification from Ridgewater College and pursued a Christian Ministries degree at Crown College in Minneapolis. Through her experience of working in the elderly care field, she discovered her true passion of sharing the power of spirituality with others. She is proud to be humble and says, “I am who I am” and displays her own vulnerabilities while building rapport with suffering addicts/alcoholics. She shares her personal story of recovery to encourage others to tap into their strengths as she helps build them up to live the life they desperately desire~ a life of recovery!
Susan Wright, CPRS, is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist with the MN Certification Board. She is the Lead CPRS for Recovery Center and assists other CPRS staff in scheduling, support, communicating client needs and more. She attended Ridgewater College in Hutchinson for accounting and business management. Her pursuit of education was exchanged for motherhood. She originally started at Recovery Center serving as our office and sober house manager but quickly realized she found a new purpose in life and completed the training to became a CPRS. Her personal journey of finding recovery motivates her to share her own story with others. She takes great pride in managing her recovery. She believes that connecting people through sober social support and networking is a key component to making lasting changes. She is very passionate about supporting parents in early recovery and works closely with the parents in the program.
Charles “Chuck” Gorres, CPRS, is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist with the MN Certification Board. He is a long-time resident of the Morris, MN area and relocated to Paynesville to share in building the strong recovery community. He served 17 years in the Army National Guard and Reserves. Throughout his military experience, he attended several colleges to enhance his knowledge and skills. He received his AAS degree with diplomas in auto mechanics and civil engineering with some training in aircraft mechanics. He is a proud father of two children and even prouder grandfather of three grandchildren. It was the love for his family that motivated him to find recovery. He learned through his own struggle with addiction that you cannot do it alone. He genuinely enjoys the comradery that exists within the walls of AA/NA and recovery events. He loves to cook and is more than happy to serve as chief griller or master chef for cook outs or potlucks. He is semi-retired and believed working as a CPRS would be the perfect role for him to share his personal experiences learned through the school of hard knocks with others. He is a man of courage, discipline, loyalty and dedication that will strive to help anyone live recovery.
Brandon Wester, CPRS, is a graduate of Brown College in Brooklyn Park, MN where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Studies. Through his studies, he gained knowledge of the challenges people face while involved in the criminal justice system. He understands the extensive support systems that people need for rehabilitative efforts to make positive and lasting changes. He recently became a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist with the MN Certification Board. He is strong in his recovery, his faith, and his passion to help others. He has learned first-hand that hope is given through inspiration, and he loves to share his inspiring story of recovery with others. He knows what it is like to feel hopeless, so through his guidance, wisdom and role modeling of recovery he restores hope in those still suffering from addiction. He loves to sing and is a participant of the Recovery Choir where he can express his spirituality through music. He is also a player for the Recovery Center Softball Team and Recovery Center Bowling League. Through his many recovery activities, he is helping to break the stigma associated with addiction.
Leah Orner, CPRS, is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist with the MN Certification Board. She is a graduate of Minnesota State Community and Technical College where she received her AAS degree in Administrative Assistant, Medical Reception Diploma and Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health Certificate. She is passionate about music and serves as the Director of our Recovery Choir that partners with local organizations to fundraise and bring awareness to their organizations cause. She enjoys learning and intends to continue growing her resume through further education. She is the Director of the Recovery Center Kid Center. She works closely with parents and utilizes “Love and Logic” curriculum to improve parenting skills. Her own recovery has taught her that “there’s no bottom too low to turn around from” and she wants to let people know there is hope; as she is living proof that anyone can change!
Jennifer Ketchum, CPRS, is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist with the MN Certification Board. She dropped out of high school and experienced significant loss including the overdose death of her fiancé and loss of custody of her children due to her addiction. Through her participation and successful completion of the Stearns County Drug Court and Recovery Center program, she learned to surrender to the process of recovery. After more than a decade of being out of high school, she earned her GED and attended St Cloud Technical College in pursuit of a degree in Psychology. She realized that her desire to inspire and help others could be fulfilled by being a CPRS and completed her certification. She is a member of the Recovery Choir and team captain for “Bowling Stones” in the Recovery Center Bowling League. She has restored her relationship with her two children and cherishes being a mother. Her life has transformed in ways she never thought possible. She takes pride in gaining people’s trust and hopes that through her own experiences, she will encourage others to invest in finding their own recovery.
Roni Barton is a graduate of Sauk Rapids-Rice High School. She briefly attended St Cloud Technical College in pursuit of a degree in the healthcare field. She struggled with addiction for many years before establishing a life in recovery. Through recovery, she has discovered her purpose in life is serving others. She is passionate about her children and supporting other parents in their journey for recovery. She works closely with the Director of the Kid Center to micromanage the daily oversite of the many volunteers. Her loving and calm nature is inviting to the volunteers, and they sincerely enjoy their volunteerism under her supervision. She has served the most volunteer hours of anyone in the history of the Recovery Center. Her dedicated and selfless service has been motivating to others and our program is truly blessed to have her.
Monday: 9:00am – 9:00pm
Tuesday: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Wednesday-Thursday: 9:00am – 9:00pm
Friday: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Saturday – Sunday: By Appointment
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