FORREST SIPPEY
LAURIE ELLETT
Forrest Sippey and Laurie Ellett, owners of Helping Professionals Wellness Center in Battle Ground, said they hope to target people’s needs and not just their symptoms.
"If you call a facility a treatment center, a lot of times people will associate that with indicating that they will have something ‘done’ to them," Sippey said. "That’s one of the main reasons we decided to call this a wellness center. We use a lot of holistic methods, pain management, etc."
Sippey and Ellett said they received certification for their facility Aug. 1 and they hope to begin taking applications Aug. 15. Ellett said they actually rented the space for the wellness center about six months ago, but they have been in the process of getting the facility up and running ever since.
"We had to write about three manuals, create complete client charts, do a walkthrough of the whole treatment process and more," she said. "It’s a long process."
Helping Professionals Wellness Center, located at 2401 W. Main St., Suite 205 in Battle Ground, is a health care service provider agency and will initially be working with individuals and families who are experiencing difficulty due to substance abuse and/or mental health issues. According to their website, the wellness center "delivers quality, integrated behavioral health care services to individuals who are facing challenges due to the effects of problems in their lives."
Programs offered at Helping Professionals Wellness Center include mental health, chemical dependency, community outreach, dual diagnosis, older adults. youth, physical health and family. Services offered within these programs include individual and group therapy, family therapy, case management, advocacy, resource and referral, educational trainings and seminars and services that support the concept of wellness in behavioral health.
The wellness center will also help resolve issues they may be having with a DUI arrest or some other drug-related legal issues. Ellett said the center offers urine analysis services, but they also offer a unique way of testing for substances called oral fluid testing. Ellett said this method consists of simply testing a sample of saliva, making it an ideal choice for someone who might not be comfortable doing the urine analysis.
Ellett said she has been involved in the substance abuse field for about 26 years. She said she worked with corrections clients who had mental health issues and addictions and also did some outpatient care and family counseling.
"When I was 19, I got in some trouble with the law and went into a program, not necessarily a substance abuse program, but more of a social services program," Ellett said. "During that time, it just kind of grabbed me that I could be contributing to people’s lives and be effective."
Sippey said he’s been involved in this field for about 10 years and has helped numerous people with DUI problems and even started a few programs in Alaska. He said he’s worked with a wide variety of populations and it’s interesting to see addiction in all different kinds of people.
"Sometimes our culture forgets who the client is," Sippey said. "We aim to meet our patients needs and we really want the best outcomes for people."
Sippey said he first became interested in substance abuse work when he became involved in an addictive situation years ago that spiraled out of control. After dealing with that, he said he decided to go back to school and learn the science of substance abuse and addiction.
Ellett and Sippey said they chose Battle Ground as the location for their wellness center because they feel like there is a real need for a wellness center in the area.
"We really want to be a part of the community," Sippey said. "We want to do more outreach and become involved with the schools. We want to encourage people that if they need a presentation done about substance abuse or other issues, we’d be happy to talk with them."
As a Grand Opening special, Ellett and Sippey are offering a complete drug and alcohol evaluation for $100, if paid in full, during the month of August.
For more information, visit the Helping Professionals Wellness Center’s website at www.hpwellnesscenter.com or call (360) 687-0693.
