Community Focused, & Community Driven

We Appreciate Your Help

Friendly South Lane Neighborhood Therapists

In 1988, South Lane Mental Health was started by members of the community for members of the community. Our community-focused feel has remained ever since. We all struggle from time to time; it’s important for people to have access to a therapist to help restore hope and get a sense of a renewed life.

At SLMH, we are passionate about the work we do and appreciate how involved the community is in supporting one another’s mental health. With locations around Cottage Grove, OR, it’s possible for members of the community to have access to mental health services in South Lane County.

Our Team

Directors
Managers
Board of Directors
Alison Canino, QMHP/LPC (she/her)

Alison Canino, QMHP/LPC (she/her)

Executive Director, QMHP/LPC

Ali is responsible for maintaining South Lane Mental Health's mission and values. She directly oversees SLMH's clinical programs, staff trainings, community outreach and relationships, and provides administrative and clinical supervision to SLMH's directors and managers. Ali is responsible for ensuring that SLMH is following State regulations and providing services that are professional and ethical.

Ali began working for SLMH in September 2015 as a Youth and Family Therapist. She was hired straight out of graduate school and is forever grateful to her original SLMH supervisors for taking a chance on her.

Ali loves that SLMH is a creative community. SLMH is a place to grow - it's the safe container to explore ideas and challenge yourself as a client and as a staff member. We look out for one another, and we believe in keeping good folks in this field for as long as possible. That means we make space for self-care and wellness.

Ali grew up in Rhode Island. She was living in Boston when she decided to move out to Oregon. (At the time, she pronounced it Or-Ee-Gone.) She has been living in Eugene since 2015.

When Ali first moved to Eugene, she started playing Dungeons and Dragons (DnD). Playing this fantasy, tabletop, role-playing game introduced her to some of her dearest friends, and it is how she got to know her husband. DnD is a space to be silly, work out some frustration, and connect with people. When Ali is in-between DnD campaigns, she enjoys watching design shows and the food network.

Andrew Yoder, LCSW/QMHP (he/him)

Andrew Yoder, LCSW/QMHP (he/him)

Assistant Executive Director, LCSW/QMHP

Andrew is responsible for Quality Management duties, including regulatory compliance and service delivery improvements. He also oversees operational and administrative departments for the agency.

Andrew began working for SLMH in 2013. Andrew feels that SLMH is the best place that he has ever worked, and feels deeply committed to the values of service and relationship that are the basis for everything we do.

Andrew graduated in 2009 from Boise State University with a Master’s in Social Work. Andrew practiced as an individual therapist and crisis service provider beginning in 2010, and obtained his clinical social work license (LCSW) in 2016.

Ashley Tracy (she/her)

Ashley Tracy (she/her)

Director of Operations, B.S. Business Administration

As the Director of Operations, Ashley oversees human resources, finance, facilities, and IT.

Ashley grew up outside a rural town called Lebec, California. Many people know it as the Grapevine. She began working at SLMH in August 2022

Ashley loves the service that SLMH provides for the community.

Ashley's self-care is centered around outdoor adventures or activities, including walking, biking, gardening, camping, and looking at the flora and fauna around her.

 Jeremie Wharton (he/him)

Jeremie Wharton (he/him)

Director of Specialized Services, QMHA

Jeremie is a Program Administrator and provides direct support and oversight to the managers of several SLMH treatment programs including our Assertive Community Treatment program and our Adult Foster home. As a Director, Jeremie participates in agency-wide development and implements changes at a program level.

Jeremie grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe just outside of a small town called Placerville, CA. He moved to Eugene, OR in March of 2010 and worked as a Raft Guide on the McKenzie river for a season. Jeremie began working for SLMH in September of 2013.

SLMH is in the “healthy relationships” business. As such we commit ourselves to carry that lens in every aspect of our work, including in our leadership. It is Jeremie’s great pleasure to participate as a leader in an agency that values and fosters healthy communication, personal growth, and professional development.

Jeremie loves immersing himself in our beautiful natural surroundings, including hiking, swimming, and camping. A walk in the trees, swimming in the river, burying his feet in the sand on the beach, or poking a campfire is Jeremie’s ultimate Zen. As a social person, he also loves a good BBQ or tabletop game night with friends.

Rebecca Fitkin, LPC Associate

Rebecca Fitkin, LPC Associate

Clinical Director

Rebecca supports clients and clinicians in recognizing their strengths and talents that support positive mental health. She also encourages the development of new skills that support emotional intelligence and overall growth. Rebecca is from Eugene, OR, and has been working for SLMH since February 2020.

Rebecca likes that SLMH’s work culture is supportive, collaborative, and strength-based. There is no shame, blame, or micro-managing.

Rebecca is creative, curious, and loves to make art. She is a printmaker and also loves watercolor, photography, and excursions into the wilderness.

Amanda Ramos (she/her)

Amanda Ramos (she/her)

Clinic Administrative Manager, PSS

As Clinic Administrative Manager, Amanda supports our outpatient team with administrative tasks. She is responsible for assigning and reassigning clients to clinicians.

Amanda was born & raised in Southern California. She began working for SLMH in 2018. Amanda was initially drawn in by the mission of SLMH to provide mental health treatment to a rural community which is very near and dear to her heart due to her own experiences with it. She quickly grew to love this agency due to the sense of community she felt among the staff and the people we serve. It was clear from her very first day of employment that anyone who walks through those doors is met with empathy, kindness, and respect. Amanda also loves that the culture at SLMH encourages self-care.

Amanda enjoys curling up on the couch and watching her favorite movies, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Inside Out, whenever she can to promote her own self-care.

Andrea Hopkins

Andrea Hopkins

Therapist, Outpatient Manager and Neurofeedback Supervisor

Becky Anlauf Antunez

Becky Anlauf Antunez

Billing Manager

As the Director of Operations, Ashley oversees human resources, finance, facilities, and IT.

Ashley grew up outside a rural town called Lebec, California. Many people know it as the Grapevine. She began working at SLMH in August 2022

Ashley loves the service that SLMH provides for the community.

Ashley's self-care is centered around outdoor adventures or activities, including walking, biking, gardening, camping, and looking at the flora and fauna around her.

Brett Markwardt, BS/QMHA

Brett Markwardt, BS/QMHA

IOSS Program Manager

Brett’s is one of the first faces a family sees when they begin services with the IOSS Program. He represents the program to the families we serve and helps to hold and steer case conceptualization for all clients in the program. Brett enjoys working directly with parents and keeps a small caseload. He is from Iowa and began working for SLMH in December 2015.

Brett loves being able to support others in their mental health journeys, and he loves the support SLMH offers him in that goal. He enjoys tabletop games, video games, and walks in nature.

Cindy Pratt

Bohemia Residential Center (Adult Foster Home) Manager

Haley Cochell, Professional Counselor Associate, QMHP

Outpatient Therapist and Manager of the Youth Outpatient Program

Haley’s responsibilities range from providing one-on-one and group support through scheduled and impromptu meetings with fabulous members of the youth outpatient team. She supports the management of the 6 shared play therapy spaces at the main office, including restocking materials (which is why she occasionally leaves a trail of glitter in her footsteps); tracking inventory for art/sensory supplies and snacks for youth clients; and conducting interviews for job applicants. The focus of the support Haley provides the Youth Outpatient Team members can range from logistical support with the electronic health record, practicing best standards with documentation, and collaborating on how to increase sustainability and satisfaction at the workplace while protecting against burnout and compassion fatigue. She also carries a small caseload of clients and provides individual and occasionally group counseling services, primarily with youth. This includes her role as the school-based therapist at Creswell High School.

Haley was born in Cottage Grove. Her family moved around a bit while she was growing up, before returning home to Cottage Grove when she was a teenager. (bonus fun fact: Haley was born in the old Cottage Grove hospital which is located across the street from SLMH's main office on Birch Ave - the office where she currently works ... talk about a 'full circle' moment in life!)

Haley started her journey as an intern at SLMH in May 2019. She joined the youth outpatient team as an employee in February 2020.

Haley loves many things about SLMH, including the genuine and authentic connections made between staff members that bring a sense of community within the agency. This leads her to feel cared about holistically as a human - not just an employee. Haley values the focus on sustainability in the services we provide as well as the workplace culture fostered in this agency. She also loves the presence and prioritization of physical, mental, and emotional safety at SLMH that then allows room for creativity and growth - the expectation is not to be a 'perfect manager,' but rather, a manager (or director, therapist, etc.) who can practice accountability when mistakes are made and who can ask for help or guidance when they are unsure. Lastly, Haley appreciates the variety of ways she can grow as a clinician within SLMH.

Being out in nature plays a significant role in Haley’s self-care and spiritual practice: exploring new and familiar hiking trails; running; playing around in the dirt (also known as gardening...); and trips to the coast. She also enjoys spending time with her people, ranging from one-on-one time to experiences of collective joy in groups, like live music events or community celebrations. Oh, and lots of laughter - the deep-belly kind of laughter where you make weird facial expressions and sounds!

Jon Roberts

Jon Roberts

Substance Use Disorder Services (SUDS) Manager

Jones Hollister, MS/QMHP

Medication Management Program Manager and Intern Program Coordinator

Jones supports our team of Nurse Practitioners and our Nurse Practitioner Assistant who provide medical assessments, coordinate with primary care physicians, and provide direct medication management for those who would benefit from receiving these services.

Jones is originally from the Seattle area and lived for 24 years in the San Francisco Bay Area prior to moving back to the PNW. They began working for SLMH in January 2021.

Jones loves working with compassionate and supportive colleagues at an agency committed to empowering our clients and treating them with respect and appreciation.

Jones is an enthusiastic though haphazard gardener and loves to make things with their hands, including models and crocheted blankets.

Joyce Miller

Office Manager

As office manager Joyce supervises the receptionists and office assistants. In addition, she oversees the business office to ensure that existing standards and practices are followed to ensure a positive experience for clients and staff.

Joyce is from Cottage Grove, Oregon and she began working with us in August, 2013

When not working, Joyce enjoys spending time with family and trips to the coast.

Kelly Rowlett, QMHA (she/her)

Kelly Rowlett, QMHA (she/her)

Facilities Manager, QMHA

Kelly’s primary role is to oversee the daily needs of all SLMH buildings and serve as Property Manager of our residential units. In all, South Lane Mental Health has four office buildings that are primarily used for therapy, 11 rental units, an Adult Foster home, and the Recovery center.

Kelly hails from the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” (actually 11,842 but Minnesotans don’t like to brag). She began working for SLMH in 2017.

Kelly loves working for an agency that promotes personal and professional growth while emphasizing the need for self-care. Because of this healthy balance of meeting her professional goals while also being able to take care of herself and her family, Kelly feels she is better equipped to help the community in which she lives and loves.

In her free time, Kelly enjoys rockhounding, rock tumbling, and crocheting.

Monica White, BS Psychology, QMHA, She/Her

IOSS Program Manager

Monica manages clients entering and leaving the IOSS program, coordinates care for current clients, and maintains program requirements and integrity. She is from Oregon and began working for SLMH in 2012.

Monica loves the constant attention the management at SLMH gives to maintaining a healthy work environment and the fact that SLMH is always striving to improve.

Monica loves to be outdoors when the weather is decent, camping and riding quads.

Nicole Baschleben, CSWA, QMHP, She/Her

Clinical Supervisor and Co-manager of the Case Management Team, Adult Therapist/ Case manager

Nicole assists with managing and supervising a team of 6 mental health service providers that provide outpatient therapy and case management to community members in South Lane County. She also provides direct therapeutic services to individual members of the community.

Nicole was born in Illinois; however, has lived in different parts of Oregon for the majority of her life. She moved to Eugene, Oregon, in 2001 and has been there ever since. She began working for SLMH in 2016.

Nicole loves how supportive everyone is at SLMH, including each other and the community. For Nicole, self-care is about spending time in nature. She especially enjoys spending time near the ocean.

Robert Lee, QMHA (he/him/his)

Case Management Services Program Manager

Robert manages the Case Management Services Program at SLMH. He provides multidisciplinary Care Coordination and Medical Advocacy for complex cases. Robert is also an Othmer Method EEG Neurofeedback clinician. A survivor of the Southeast, Robert transplanted to Oregon many years ago. He began working for SLMH in 2012.

Robert loves the compassion-driven values at SLMH that mold our policies and daily practice. He is an outdoor and whitewater enthusiast.

Sam Tafoya PsyD.

ACT Team Manager

Trevor Whitbread, M.A., M.S., QMHP (he/him/él)

Trevor Whitbread, M.A., M.S., QMHP (he/him/él)

ALAS Latinx Clinical Services Program Manager

Trevor manages SLMH’s outreach to the Latinx population in South Lane County. Our clinicians that work in the ALAS program are a small but mighty group of people that provide education and outpatient mental health treatment to immigrant families, youth, adults, and couples. In addition to providing linguistic access to services, we also offer case management and engage in digital outreach to the Latinx population.

Trevor is from Hermiston, OR, and started working for SLMH in June of 2021. Trevor loves the agency’s willingness to be creative and meet folks where they are at.

Trevor chooses one day on the weekend to linger in bed. He likes to use it as an opportunity to slow down, rest and focus on doing nothing for a short while before he goes out to enjoy the day.

Samantha Duncan

President

Dr. Paul Steier

Treasurer

Sarah Canales

Secretary

Bruce Kelsh

Member

Cindy Slaymaker

Member

Gail Hoelzle

Member

Jennifer Ferraez

Member

Leslie Gottshall-Decker

Member

Rob Dickinson

Member

Ana Maria Dudley

Member

Yvonne Curtis

Member

Ann Billups

Member

Hayley Van Horn

Member

Help Restore Hope in the Community

Our History

South Lane Mental Health is deeply rooted in the Cottage Grove community, with a rich history of caring and concern. In the winter of 1987, an unhoused woman with mental illness moved into the First Presbyterian Church in Cottage Grove. Because there were no community mental health or housing resources available, church members allowed her to stay. However, she began showing traits of paranoia and psychosis and was admitted to a Portland-area psychiatric facility for treatment.

Social workers recommended a residential placement for the woman upon her release, but there was no housing for persons with psychiatric disabilities in Cottage Grove.

In response, the First Presbyterian Church formed a committee to determine whether a local mental health service could be created in Cottage Grove. A community board of directors was formed and began the process of incorporating as a private non-profit.

The next year, the organization, originally named the “Bohemia Residential Community,” began providing residential services to five people in a house donated by the local Cottage Grove Woodard family and members of the Presbyterian Church.

South Lane Mental Health has since grown from five employees assisting 50 people annually to a fluctuating staff of approximately 89 helping an average of 1,400 South Lane County area adults and children each year. We are proud to be the region’s largest comprehensive mental health services provider.

Our Values

Agility

The needs and expectations of clients, staff, and community partners continually change and evolve. We strive to be flexible and responsive within this changing environment as we change or develop new mission-driven policies, programs, and services.

Anti-Oppression

South Lane Mental Health actively seeks to create an equitable and inclusive culture and environment within our agency. We acknowledge the institutional nature of oppression, including but not limited to racism, sexism, classism, ableism, heterosexism, and cissexism. We recognize the intersection of oppression and mental health and seek to deconstruct these systems with training, for staff and community, and being vocal allies for anti-oppression efforts within our local and State communities.

Community

South Lane Mental Health was created by, and continues to receive support from, our local community. In turn, we remain committed to identifying and addressing community needs. Client services are community-based. In addition to serving clients in our offices, we meet clients in their homes, schools, medical settings, and other community spaces. We strive to create an agency characterized by teamwork, cooperative decision-making, and mutual support.

Compassion

We recognize the profound impact of adversity and trauma, both direct and vicarious, in people’s lives. Therefore, we seek to extend compassion to our clients, our staff, and our community partners.

Diversity

We pledge to create and maintain places of healing that are welcoming to people of diverse cultures and life experiences. We believe that diversity among clients, staff and community partners strengthen South Lane Mental Health, and we strive to promote diversity and culturally competent practices.

Empowerment

South Lane Mental Health is particularly committed to the empowerment of clients who are vulnerable, marginalized, living in poverty, or experiencing other forms of social injustice. We understand that the experience of social injustice often limits individuals’ and families’ ability to have hope, make and follow through on plans, or have basic opportunities to meet their goals. We empower clients by helping them access services, information, and resources.

Grace

We know that everyone makes mistakes. We aim to learn from our own mistakes and allow others to do the same.

Growth

We believe in the inherent capacity of our clients to grow and thrive, and we strive to provide services that help clients access that capacity. We enthusiastically support staff members’ personal and professional development by offering regular supervision and training opportunities and encouraging staff to pursue personal goals. South Lane Mental Health and our community benefit from the growth of clients and staff.

Innovation

We do not believe there is one model or type of treatment that works best for everyone. We support clients in finding creative solutions that build on their strengths and work for them. Staff members are encouraged to develop new ways to help us serve our clients and community. Program development can start anywhere, and we actively work to support good ideas.

Introspection

As an agency that encourages clients to thoughtfully examine themselves and their lives in order to create positive changes, we also engage in organizational introspection. We invite staff to routinely review policies and procedures during our planning process and committee meetings.

Persistence

Through our extensive range of services, we demonstrate our willingness to support clients as they work to overcome long-term issues. Likewise, we are committed to staff development and advocacy for community change.

Respect

We value the dignity and worth of all people. We treat our clients, staff members, and community partners with respect. We recognize the right of clients to self-determination.
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Funding Partners

Additional Partners

  • The City of Cottage Grove
  • The Cottage Grove Police Department
  • PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Community Medical Center’s Emergency Department
  • Food for Lane County
  • Centro Latino Americano
  • Community Sharing
  • Cottage Grove Safe Haven
  • Great Days Early Education Center
  • Head Start
  • South Lane Family Relief Nursery
  • South Lane School District

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Phone: 541-942-3939
Fax: 541-942-9310
Email: slmh.info@slmh.org
Business Hours:
Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM