Join us for a family fun event at Central Oklahoma Community Mental Health in Norman!
Recovery is Life is an event hosted by The Department of Mental Health and The Virtue Center on Friday September 30th. There will be food, games, resources (I.e. Narcan, fentanyl test strips) prizes and live music!

Bands playing;

Speak, Memory
More TBA

Join us on May 13, in honor of mental health awareness month, and June 10 in collaboration with the Second Friday Art Walk and the Norman Arts Council in a powerful display of intervention art!

On May 13, at 7:00 pm, we will gather on James Garner Blvd. to the north of Benvenuti's on the west side of the railroad tracks. We will hear from Virtue Center staff and past clients. Then at 7:30 pm, we kick off our project with spray paint artist Andy Jacobs. Then anyone who wishes can take a turn writing a story on a car.

On June 10, at 7:00 pm, we will gather once again to take turns smashing the car, SMASHING THE STIGMA, and letting go of any stereotypes or shame we have felt while struggling with the disease of addiction or mental health challenges.

Swing the hammer for yourself or someone you know, and participate in this moving display.

Fifty years ago, the founder of the Virtue Center, Dick Virtue, who had faced the devastating impact of addiction, began a grassroots effort to change how Oklahomans could access help for substance use disorders.

Help as we work to carry on Father Virtue's vision for our community by supporting our building campaign.

The Virtue Center has received a $655,000 grant from the Mabee Foundation to match every dollar you donate if we exceed their goal. We are still $570,000 away. Please consider a donation of $50 for five years or any amount so the Virtue Center can serve more people with improved services in a facility clients deserve. These funds will not come to our community if we don't raise enough funds.

Smash the Stigma is a free event, but donations will be accepted.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) cast a very long shadow, damaging the life of the child and the adult that child grows up to be. The consequences of multiple ACE events can be disastrous, causing physical, emotional, and epigenetic problems. While even one ACE score can be damaging, those with scores of four or more are especially vulnerable to long-term negative issues. They are seven times more likely to be alcoholic than those with a score of zero, ten times more likely to have injected street drugs, and 12 times more likely to have attempted suicide. To make matters worse, the stress of such events cause epigenetic changes, leading the body to activate harmful genes that might otherwise have remained dormant.

This course offers an in depth look the physical, emotional, and epigenetic harm that results from Adverse Childhood Events.

3.00 CEUs Approved for LADC/CADC, CM/RSS, LPC/LMFT, Social Work

Meet Your Trainer:

Shirley has worked in the addictions field for 20 years, serving as counselor, educator, presenter, and administrator.

Have you been affected by a substance abuse disorder or mental health issue? Everyone has. If not personally, you know a family member or friend. The Virtue Center's mission is to provide treatment, help, and hope to individuals and families in our community and SMASH THE STIGMA associated with addiction and mental health.

Join us on May 13, in honor of mental health awareness month, and June 10 in collaboration with the Second Friday Art Walk and the Norman Arts Council in a powerful display of intervention art!

On May 13, at 7:00 pm, we will gather on James Garner Blvd. to the north of Benvenuti's on the west side of the railroad tracks. We will hear from Virtue Center staff and past clients. Then at 7:30 pm, we kick off our project with spray paint artist Andy Jacobs. Then anyone who wishes can take a turn writing a story on a car.

On June 10, at 7:00 pm, we will gather once again to take turns smashing the car, SMASHING THE STIGMA, and letting go of any stereotypes or shame we have felt while struggling with the disease of addiction or mental health challenges.

Swing the hammer for yourself or someone you know, and participate in this moving display.

Fifty years ago, the founder of the Virtue Center, Dick Virtue, who had faced the devastating impact of addiction, began a grassroots effort to change how Oklahomans could access help for substance use disorders.

Help as we work to carry on Father Virtue's vision for our community by supporting our building campaign.

The Virtue Center has received a $655,000 grant from the Mabee Foundation to match every dollar you donate if we exceed their goal. We are still $570,000 away. Please consider a donation of $50 for five years or any amount so the Virtue Center can serve more people with improved services in a facility clients deserve. These funds will not come to our community if we don't raise enough funds.

Smash the Stigma is a free event, but donations will be accepted.

The entrance to the ancient Oracle at Delphi carried the warning, know thyself. The NAADAC code of ethics states that addiction professionals are required to continuously self-monitor in order to meet their professional obligations. A host of ethical failings—perhaps all of them—fall under the umbrella of the failure to self-examine and self-correct. This presentation covers the importance of self awareness and reviews the many ways in which failure to self-monitor has betrayed the mantra, “First Do No Harm.” Blind spots, biases, therapist ego, and related issues will be reviewed for their potential to sabotage the client-counselor relationship. Instances of client exploitation and court cases resulting from such failings will be presented.

3.00 CEUs Approved for LADC/CADC, CM/RSS, LPC/LMFT, Social Work

Meet Your Trainer:

Shirley Beckenhauer is certified as a LADC and has worked in the addictions field for 20 years, serving as counselor, educator, presenter, and administrator.

An unforgettable evening of music and magic benefitting The Virtue Center's Building Hope, Connection & Community capital campaign.

Guests must be at least 21 years of age. Cocktail Attire *6:30 Mix & Mingle *7:00 Enjoy magical tunes from Stephanie O'Hara & Silver while sampling heavy hors d'oeuvres from Scratch *8:15 Thrilling entertainment by Master Illusionist Rob Lake

Purchase Tickets Today! https://givebutter.com/makingmagic

Our free, annual holiday event where the whole community is invited to enjoy fun activities, festive music, Santa visits and so much more.

Join us and other agencies in our community while we celebrate recovery month! There will be games, a scavenger hunt on campus corner, guest speakers, a luminaria art activity, and more!

Join us as we celebrate the success of our Building Hope, Connection & Community Capital Campaign with groundbreaking activities.

Addiction is not limited to drugs and alcohol. Behavioral Addictions get their own category. This training will explore the cognitive distortions leading to behavioral addictions such as sex, gambling, shopping, and overeating. We will discuss effective treatment methods for treating behavioral addictions. Our training team will also look at myths surrounding treatment for this category of addiction. Participants will be in small group discussions for a portion of the training, to help provide a more personalized training approach.

This training will be interactive and hosted live on the Zoom platform.

3.00 CEUs Approved for LADC/CADC, CM/RSS, LPC/LMFT, Social Work

Meet your Trainers:

Connie Branch graduated with A Masters of Education in Applied Behavioral Studies from Oklahoma City University and a Masters of Science in Addiction and Substance Abuse Counseling from Mid-America Christian University and is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Connie has been a member of The Virtue Center team since 2014, where she started as an intern and is currently the Senior Program Director. Her favorite part about working at The Virtue Center is providing clients the stepping stones towards their journey to recovery and observing the individual growth achieved for positive life change successes. She has specialized in working with the adolescents and amongst various adolescent focused certifications, utilizes client centered therapy and Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to identify cognitive distortions and behaviors, improving emotional regulation, and the development of personal coping strategies that target solving current problems, which is useful in building self-esteem, self-identity, and self-awareness. In her free time, Connie enjoys her three grandchildren, reading, and watching a good thriller series or horror movie.

Doug Richardson graduated UCO with a BS in Substance Abuse Studies and from OU with a Master's in Human Relations degree. I have been a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) for 12 years and i have been at TVC since October 2010. The favorite part of working here is the clients. I have spent most of my time here working with clients involved in CJ or CPS. I putter around the house with a gazillion little projects and golfing.

Have you wondered what makes some services like Zoom HIPAA compliant while other services like Facetime are not? Are you confused about what your privacy responsibilities are concerning telehealth? Then join us as we discuss the ethics of telemedicine in a Zoom training. During this training, participants will utilize breakout sessions to explore different scenarios presenting ethical dilemmas in telemedicine.

This training will be interactive and hosted live on the Zoom platform.

3.00 CEUs Approved for LADC/CADC, CM/RSS, LPC/LMFT, Social Work

Meet Your Trainers:

John Gilley, LPC, graduated with a Master of Education Degree in Community Counseling and holds a Specialist Level Training Certificate both from the University of Central Oklahoma. John has been a member of The Virtue Center team since 2010. His favorite part about working at The Virtue Center is seeing the dramatic difference recovery makes in peoples lives. He utilizations Cognitive and Rogerian therapies among others when working with clients. In his free time, John enjoys cooking and hiking/camping.

Sabrina DeQuasie graduated with a degree in sociology substance abuse studies from University of Central Oklahoma and a degree in counseling psychology from Southern Nazarene University and is a licensed professional counselor (LPC). Sabrina has been a member of The Virtue Center team since 2018. Their favorite part about working at The Virtue Center is the spirit and dedication of the team members. Sabrina utilizes existentialism, motivational interviewing and Dialectical Behavior Therapy / CBT when working with clients. In their free time, Sabrina likes to sew and quilt.

This training will help clinicians identify and confront unhealthy thinking processes with their clients. We will go back to the basics: what purpose does criminal thinking serve and why does it occur. Our trainers will offer possible interventions to challenge unhealthy thinking patterns. This multi-faceted training approach utilizes three distinct perspectives from our therapy staff. Steve Nelson has 40 years of experience in this field, coupled with Will Warner’s experience working with justice-involved clients and our Recovery Support Specialist Caleb Klusmeyer offering a personal voice.

This training will be interactive and hosted live on the Zoom platform.

3.00 CEUs Approved for LADC/CADC, CM/RSS, LPC/LMFT, Social Work

Meet Your Trainers:

Steve Nelson is a Certified Alcohol Drug Counselor. Steve has been a member of The Virtue Center team since 1981. His favorite part about working at The Virtue Center is working in the prisons. He utilizes CBT when working with clients. He particularly like working with criminal justice populations.

Will Warner graduated with a masters in counseling at East Central University and they currently hold a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor/Mental Health. Will has been a member of The Virtue Center team since 2013. Their favorite part about working at The Virtue Center is working in the Purcell office. Will utilize Jungian and Cognitive behavioral therapy when working with clients. Will enjoys working with criminal justice and child welfare clients. In his free time, Will likes to play with his children and enjoys roleplaying games.

Caleb Klusmeyer is a Recovery Support Specialist and Case Manager. Caleb has been a member of The Virtue Center team since 2018. Caleb works with a wide range of clients including adolescents and adults. He enjoys connecting with clients through his own personal experience. In his free time, Caleb is a musician in three bands!

The Virtue Center is a treatment provider for a variety of specialty courts in Cleveland, McClain and Garvin Counties. This training will examine case studies from Adult Drug Court, Juvenile Drug Court, Family Drug Court and Misdemeanor Recovery Court. We will explore the needs of specialty court participants along with the challenges and successes that come with working with a justice-involved population. These case studies will involve ethical challenges that arise when working with a multi-disciplinary team. Our training will utilize breakout sessions for a more personalized training experience. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with real cases from the experiences of our therapeutic team.

This training will be interactive and hosted live on the Zoom platform.

3.00 CEUs Approved for LADC/CADC, CM/RSS, LPC/LMFT, Social Work

Meet Your Training Lead:

Sarah West graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling from The University of Oklahoma and she currently holds an LPC license. Sarah has been a member of The Virtue Center team since 2016. Sarah’s favorite part about working at The Virtue Center is our supportive clinical team and dedication to our mission. She is passionate about working on the Cleveland County Drug Court team watching our criminal-justice involved clients find freedom through recovery. In her spare time, she enjoys re-reading Harry Potter countless times.

Other trainers include:

• Will Warner, LADC-MH, McClain and Garvin County Drug Court

• Rachael Winkles, LMSW, Misdemeanor Recovery Court

• Shelby Howland, LPC-C, Juvenile Drug Court

• Liz Richardson, LPC, Family Drug Court

• Doug Richardson, LADC, Community Sentencing and Drug Courts

• Connie Branch, LADC, Juvenile Drug Court

From serial killers to manipulative advertising tactics, let’s explore the dark side of psychology. Have you ever wondered how serial killers think? Do you know why you bought that ridiculous Made For TV item? Dark Psychology has the answers! Together as a group, we will discuss some of the manipulative tactics that have arisen from the field of psychology. We will explore how dark psychology can even find it’s way into a therapeutic setting. The last portion of the training will include provider self-reflection into their own motivations with clients. You will leave this training with a better understanding of manipulation and how to identify your own intentions as a therapist.

This training will be interactive and hosted live on the Zoom platform.

3.00 CEUs Approved for LADC/CADC, CM/RSS, LPC/LMFT, Social Work

Meet Your Trainers:

Sabrina DeQuasie graduated with a degree in sociology substance abuse studies from University of Central Oklahoma and a degree in counseling psychology from Southern Nazarene University and is a licensed professional counselor (LPC). Sabrina has been a member of The Virtue Center team since 2018. Their favorite part about working at The Virtue Center is the spirit and dedication of the team members. Sabrina utilizes existentialism, motivational interviewing and Dialectical Behavior Therapy / CBT when working with clients. In their free time, Sabrina likes to sew and quilt.

Alayna Cornelius graduated with a Master of Science in Psychological Services from East Central University and is currently a Licensed Professional Counselor. Alayna has been a member of The Virtue Center team since 2018. Alayna’s favorite part about working at The Virtue Center is working with a team who cares so deeply for the clients they serve. Alayna particularly enjoys providing group therapy and works primarily with clients working toward reuniting their families. In her free time, Alayna enjoys rollerblading and spending time with her loved ones

Giving Tuesday is a great way to support your local non-profits!