Meet Sheree Stabler, licensed independent mental health practitioner at Choices Treatment Center.
Tell us a little about your business. – Choices (www.choicestreatmentcenter.com) is an outpatient treatment and recovery facility committed to helping individuals overcome problems related to gambling, substance abuse, and mental health through a holistic approach so all co-occurring issues may be addressed.
How did you get started in the business? – I attended college at Nebraska Wesleyan University and started working for the Community Learning Center (CLC) in a before and after school program at Hartley and Clinton Elementary Schools. There, I worked with a wide variety of families and children who I built strong connections with. I started to see the importance of support for these families outside of the educational setting and wanted to be able to support the families in a capacity that would help benefit them emotionally and mentally. After graduating with my Bachelor of Arts, I went on to attend graduate school at Doane College where I received my Master of Arts in counseling. I worked for 10+ years serving at-risk and underserved populations and my good friend Jeremy presented an opportunity for me to expand my work into addiction and adult mental health at Choices about five years ago.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Continuing to help support families and clients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With the shut downs, telehealth became the forefront of treatment and there was a learning curve, particularly in working with individuals struggling with addictions. Increased depression levels and isolation along with increased insecurity was a perfect storm for increased mental health and addiction. Learning how to stay connected with clients on an impactful level was important and there wasn’t much time for learning.
Tell us a little about your family. – My husband Angelo and I have been together for the past 10 years. We have eight children—six of our own and two who we finalized the adoption for in January of this year. The kids range in age from 1 to 18 years old. As you can imagine, our house is rarely ever quiet. They are all also very involved in sports, primarily basketball, so we are constantly in the gym or on the road headed to games. We are definitely busy and, at times, things start to feel chaotic, but we wouldn’t trade it for the world.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – I love spending time with my family. We enjoy family movie nights at home or going to the park to spend the day. Anything we can do to have some quality time together during the few days we have the opportunity to is a great time.
What is your greatest talent that you don’t utilize in your daily work life? – Singing. Growing up, I was very involved in music. I was in choir and show choir in high school and went on to participate in University Choir at Nebraska Wesleyan. I love to sing and always dreamed of going on to pursue music. At times, I regret that I didn’t because music is what soothes my soul. It has always been an integral part of who I am and is where I find my home.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – (402) 730-6499; sheree.stabler@gmail.com; www.choicestreatmentcenter.com.