Meet The Team

Dr Casey Ferguson started her career in hospital medicine, a field she worked in for 14 years before taking an interest in Addiction Medicine.  Throughout her career, she cared for many patients in the hospital with complications from addictions. While addressing their hospital medical conditions, she often felt unprepared to support them with their underlying substance use disorders. In this setting, she developed an interest in addiction care, and was accepted to the Addiction Medicine Fellowship program at OHSU, which she completed in 2019.

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She has since practiced Addiction Medicine at Kaiser and Central City Concern. She joined Cielo Treatment Center as Medical Director in September 2022. She loves working with patients in outpatient treatment, providing support with prescribing for mental health and medication supported recovery. She derives inspiration from her patients and the many challenges they overcome in their journeys, and she feels it is an honor to be involved in their care.

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When not working, Casey can be found with her partner and two teenage sons, playing with her dogs or doing outdoor activities such as running, biking, skiing, camping, etc.

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Dr. Phyllis D. Hursey has been a physician for more than 25 years. She began her career in family medicine and worked with a wide range of patients from prenatal and infancy to geriatric. As the years went by Dr. Hursey discovered that she had a passion for both addiction and pain management, and she began to seek additional education in those specific fields.

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Dr. Hursey believes treatment for addiction should always be individualized and there is no “one size fits all” approach. Addiction treatment is both multi-disciplinary and multi-factorial. Often times addiction is caused by an undiagnosed or untreated psychological cause that needs to be addressed in order for the patient to be successful. Dr. Hursey believes in a holistic approach, meaning that along with medication, patients need to learn new coping mechanisms to help them deal with life stresses and that with these tools, her patients can learn to live a balanced and productive life.

 

In her free time, Dr. Hursey enjoys playing with her dogs, spending time with family, traveling, and singing.

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Marcy moved to Portland, Oregon from Oklahoma in 2004, and worked in healthcare as a respiratory therapist for 15 years, before returning to college in 2010 to pursue a degree in Addictions Counselor Education.

Throughout her career, Marcy has maintained a commitment to treating each client with unconditional positive regard, utilizing a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach to help clients re-discover a life worth living in recovery.

Marcy believes in the possibility for change for any person struggling with addiction and is especially passionate about working with young adults and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

As a former United States Marine, Marcy has traveled extensively and enjoys meeting people from all walks of life. Currently Marcy spends her free time with her family and her four dogs.

Sarah was born in Sandy Oregon and has lived in Portland her whole life. Sarah first found her passion for mental health working with high risk teens. That’s when she began her Bachelor’s of Social Work program and began interning at NARA NW where she worked closely with the indigenous population and gained knowledge and appreciate for indigenous culture.  

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Her specialty is working with clients with severe and persistent mental illness. She has an extensive background in residential supportive treatment. Her core beliefs are based on  integrity, empathy,  diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and understanding that people are unique and each individual deserves the opportunities to be their best selves.

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Her favorite modalities are cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma informed therapy, rational emotive behavioral therapy, Gestalt therapy, Erik Erickson’s stages of development, and person-centered therapy.

Sarah loves the outdoors, and her hobbies include horseback riding, camping, water sports, and cars.

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Sean was born and raised in Portland and loves the Pacific Northwest. After graduating from the University of Oregon with a BA in English, Sean went to China to teach ESL. While there, Sean taught Kindergarten and enjoyed traveling through SE Asia. After a few years, Sean came back to the States to be closer to his family. He now works helping people in a different setting: addiction and recovery.
 

As a former teaching professional, Sean believes in resolving conflicts with compassion. He brings a level-headed approach to the recovery setting and works to support those around him. One of his core beliefs is that nearly any conflict can be resolved through listening and understanding.
 

In his free time, Sean enjoys keeping up with his Mandarin Language studies, exploring different areas of Portland, and spending time with his wife and his two cats. He plans to obtain his CADC certification and become a counselor.

Justina moved from to Portland, Oregon from Denver Colorado in 2018 when she made the decision to get sober. She found an outpatient treatment program, moved into sober living, and dedicated herself to transitioning her life toward health and wellbeing.

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Justina is proud that she has four years sober, and she believes that if you put in the work, doors will open, and wonderful opportunities will arise. She knows that through sobriety, every client can have the life they have always wanted.

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Justina started working in the addiction treatment field three years ago as a house manager and then a certified recovery mentor. She then recognized her passion and skillset for administrative work and learned to excel at insurance billing.

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In her free time, Justina loves spending time with her family, and her three beautiful children, Luca, Millie, and Milo. She also enjoys reading books and spending time in nature.

Elyssa graduated from Marylhurst University in 2011 with a Master’s degree in Art therapy Counseling. Being dual trained in art therapy and talk therapy she has worked in community mental health, addictions and private practices health care settings.

 

Elyssa’s approach is client centered and collaborative. The therapeutic approach is CBT and Mindfulness with a focus on developing healthy coping skills, emotional regulation and relapse prevention. Elyssa believes in meeting clients where they are at and being a guide to helping them process through the difficult or disruptive patterns in their lives to help them move forward to meet their goals. She feels that is a great honor to be allowed to witness client’s stories and growth. Elyssa is LGBTQIA+ sensitive and believes everyone has the right to be and love whoever and however that speaks to their heart. She feels it is an honor and privilege to be able to help people on their healing journey and to walk beside them and support them throughout that journey.

 

Elyssa has been married to her husband for 25 years and has two amazing adult children. She spends her free time making art and is an avid Halloween fan. Halloween is her passion and she loves to travel around the country teaching people how to make realistic Halloween props out of styrofoam.

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Deanna was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and came to Portland as a young girl in the early 90's where she fell into a life of addiction. In 2004 Deanna decided to make a change in her life and began her life of recovery from active addiction. She enrolled at Portland Community College and earned her associate degree in Addiction in 2012.  Deanna has worked as a substance abuse counselor for 12 years, in medication assisted treatment, with youth, and has a specialty background in facilitating parenting groups and working with families.  

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Deanna has a passion for helping others learn how to live without drugs and alcohol. She is deeply committed to meeting each client where they are, at whatever motivation level they are at, and believes that everyone has the capacity for positive change.

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Deanna is very passionate about self-care and meditation. She loves music, the color purple, and she enjoys spending time with her four children, six grandchildren, and two dogs, Bear and Jade.

Cheyenne was born and raised in northern California and moved to Portland, Oregon in 2005 as an adolescent. She then relocated up to Olympia, Washington in 2020 to attend rehab and get a fresh start in life.

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Cheyenne works a recovery program based on the 12 steps, Wellbriety, and Dharma based recovery. Cheyenne sees recovery as connecting to spiritual self, building community, and finding a sense of belonging.

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Cheyenne previously worked as a group counselor for two years in an outpatient program in Olympia, is White Bison certified, and provides culturally specific therapy and groups such as drum making, Wellbriety, and connecting clients to culturally specific peer services, and sweat lodge.

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Cheyenne believes that addiction is isolation and recovery is community. It is of the utmost importance for clients to connect themselves with others in recovery who not only have the same interests but who have had success in their own recovery journey. Cheyenne believes that there are many paths to recovery, and there is a path out there for every single person seeking help. It is important to address the underlying behaviors, trauma, and environmental factors, that contribute to the addiction cycle. Cheyenne also believes in the importance of connection to culture.

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In addition to working in the recovery treatment field, Cheyenne is also a musician and plays the piano, guitar, ukulele, flute, and writes music and songs. She also loves spending time with family and friends and her two rambunctious cats, Sully and Hakuna.

Chris was born and raised in Evanston, IL just north of Chicago. In 2012, he decided he wanted to try out a different part of the country, and came to Portland, OR. He was drawn to Portland's easy access to nature, more alternative culture, and music scene.

 

Chris wanted to become a counselor to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Through his own challenges with depression, anxiety, and trauma from his youth, he realized that he wanted others to find healing like he did. In this work he also discovered his passion for helping people recover from addiction, seeing how radically people can change when they find sobriety and recover their true healthy selves. He believed that the most effective treatment comes from addressing both mental health and substance abuse simultaneously.

 

Chris started his counseling career working with adults experiencing schizophrenia in residential settings, and then transitioned to helping those with substance use disorders in the residential treatment setting, caring for individuals experiencing both mental health and substance abuse challenges.

 

His theoretical orientation uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Person-Centered Therapy, CBT, Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), DBT, and Mindfulness. He believes that every person is capable of healing their struggles and approaches each person with compassion and openness to who they are and what they need. He believes that recovery works best when someone is able to be in a healthy sober community, away from their old environment, while they heal their mind, body, and spirit.

 

Some of Chris’s hobbies are playing the didgeridoo and piano, going on runs and lifting weights, hiking, attending music shows, reading books, spending quality time with friends and community, and doing meditation and yoga. A fun fact about Chris, is that he’s lived about 2.5 years total in other countries including Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Peru, Japan, and Australia.

Kenny was born in Crosby, Texas and moved to Southeast Asia when he turned one. He spent much of his upbringing in Asia, where he lived in Indonesia for a year, Malaysia for 7 years, and Singapore for 8 years. Kenny then moved back to America, where he spent his teens and early adult life in Virginia, Florida, and Austin, Texas.  

 

From a young age, Kenny knew that he wanted to help others. He witnessed extreme poverty and injustice without the ability to comprehend or fix it. This early life experience fostered a desire in his heart to create sustainable change in the world. When Kenny struggled with and overcame his own substance use disorder, he knew he could make a positive impact helping others who suffer from this complex and devastating disorder. His passion continues to be guiding people toward finding their own authenticity and true self.

 

His theoretical orientation includes Relational Cultural Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma Focused Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Kenny believes in holding social justice and cultural humility at the forefront, and that it is incredibly courageous work to heal and change. Both of these things are essential in achieving long-term recovery.  

  

Kenny enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, which includes shooting pool, hiking, swimming in rivers, surfing, playing recreational sports and computer games, going to shows, and cuddling with his kitty cat. In his free time, he volunteers at a harm reduction program, as well as a horseback riding program for the disabled.

Gigi Goodrich was born and raised on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. At 18 years old she started using and drinking and then spent her 20's spiraling into alcoholism and addiction. She also struggled with depression and other mental health disorders that greatly contributed to her using and drinking. In 2019 Gigi went to treatment in California for four months, then attended an intensive outpatient program back home in Portland for an additional year. These treatment programs started her on her sobriety journey, and she has been sober and in recovery ever since. 

 

Gigi attends weekly AA meetings, works a 12-step program with a sponsor, and sees two different therapists on a regular basis. She believes that judgement has no place in recovery, and loves supporting other people in reclaiming their lives and happiness. She wants to see everyone treated with dignity, respect, and kindness. 

 

Gigi is a Bulldog lover, self-care ritual guru, and horror movie fanatic. She listens to gangster rap and heavy metal, and in her spare time, she owns and operates a Crystals, Fossils and Minerals business.

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Jess is from Estacada, Oregon, a small town on the outskirts of Portland, where he great up surrounded by the mountains and the river.

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He has dedicated his life to recovery and attends support groups, works with his sponsor, and has built a strong support system.

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Jess believes that everyone is capable of recovery, but at some point, you have to want it for yourself. He says that everyone needs a good support system in place to achieve those results and they need to be open-minded to find out what works best.

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Jess is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, and being in the woods. He also loves spending time with his son and watching him play sports. One fun fact about Jess is that he once hit the bullseye with his bow and arrow and then, in the next shot, split the first arrow in two!

Tristen moved to Portland, Oregon from Kent, Washington.

 

Tristen believes that recovery is an ongoing process that requires connection, working a program, support from peers, and healthy accountability.

 

Tristen has a strong recovery program himself that revolves around 12 step meetings, step work, service work, and a relationship with his higher power. He loves having the opportunity to be of service in the recovery community and watching people grow as they maintain their recovery program. He believes that it is rewarding and beautiful to witness the growth and change is his client’s lives.

 

In his free time Tristen loves to be in nature and enjoys mountain biking. Tristen is also currently enrolled in college to be get a degree in Mental Health Therapy.

Tim was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. After struggling with addiction for many years, he finally sought treatment and started his new life in recovery.

 

Tim attends Celebrate Recovery, where he attends a step study group. He says that he is currently working on new beginnings and healing the wounds of the past, giving back to others, and continuing to stay engaged in outside support meetings and in his community.

 

He believes that everyone can recover from addiction and alcoholism, and everyone deserves a second chance and a new beginning in life. He loves being a mentor because he feels passionate about helping others and watching them grow. He feels honored that he gets to play such a vital role in each client’s journey and enjoys being of service.

 

Tim’s hobbies include bowling, sports, going on adventures with friends and family, and helping other.

Katie is a true local, born in Portland, and raised in Lake Oswego.

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She enjoys working in the mental health/addiction field because it provides her with an opportunity to make a positive impact on people's lives.  She loves the fact that through the work she does and the relationships she forms, she is able to help people recognize their potential and realize their worth.

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Katie has an impressive administrative and supervisory background in mental health treatment and supportive housing, as well as a background in outreach and advocacy for domestic violence survivors at a drop-in center for runaway and at-risk youth.  For the last thirteen years she has been working with individuals diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness.

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Katie believes in meeting people where they're at and using a strengths-based, person-centered approach with lots of cheerleading and positive regard.

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When Katie’s not at work, you can find her traveling, spending time with family, watching reality tv, hanging out with her dog, running in races, and doing escape rooms with my friends. A fun fact about Kaite is that she has been swimming with pigs, sharks, and an alligator (but not all at the same time!).