As founder and director of Windhaven House, Alison’s passion is helping women find their way to sobriety. This passion is a product of her own recovery journey shaped through treatment, 12-Step work, service and sober living. In helping others struggling with sobriety, Allision began to dream of providing a place for women to experience recovery and reclaim their lives. In the 10 years prior to opening Windhaven House, she worked at the Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse in Dallas as a life skills facilitator and then director of prevention programs. She has trained thousands of people locally and nationally on various topics dealing with substance abuse. Windhaven House was originally Alison’s father’s home before he passed away from leukemia in April of 2011. She firmly believes it was part of his legacy for his house to evolve into a sober living home for women. Windhaven’s first house opened in early 2012. Its focus encompasses emotional, spiritual, and physical health with a concentration on the essential life skills needed to become a productive member of society. The women of Windhaven House experience structure, accountability, responsibility, and most of all, love.
What brought you to the field of addiction treatment? What brought you to Origins?
When I was in treatment in 2000, I was serving at the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence and fell in love with what they were doing to help youth. After treatment, they hired me part-time and sent me to evidence-based program training for at-risk youth through the Botvin’s Life Skills Prevention Program. When I moved back to Dallas, I continued my career in prevention and intervention with at-risk youth for a number of years.
After a decade of working at the Dallas Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, I opened Windhaven House in 2012 to fulfill my true passion for helping women achieve long term recovery. After much prayer, I knew I needed to do something more to grow Windhaven. I had taken it as far as I could on my own. Since I had worked with Origins for years, both referring and receiving clients, mutual trust was there. I knew Origins was a perfect fit for Windhaven because the company aligns with my values and would never compromise the integrity of our program.
If there was only one thing you could tell us about working within your specialty area, what would it be?
I love watching someone come back to life and seeing the changes that occur. It gives me the biggest “buzz.”
What have you learned through your experience working in treatment?
I have learned that each case is different, and we have to meet the client where they are and truly individualize their plan. I have also learned we cannot help everyone or every family. Some people may not be ready to change yet, but we can always plant seeds for the future.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Do you spend time with family? Do you have any pets or engage in special hobbies?
I love to ride bikes with my family, watch my daughter play soccer, and play with our two goldendoodles, Blue and Cosmo.
Contact us for more information about how Windhaven House can help you achieve and maintain lasting sobriety. Call 866-856-0801 or send us a message now.
