Dena Sites
Counselor & Case Manager, Treatment Services
written by David Dye, Treatment Services ManagerI am very pleased to announce that Dena Sites, a Case Manager for the Klahre House program, has been chosen as the Next Door’s Employee of the Month for July.
Dena has been a loyal employee of the Klahre House and Treatment Services for nearly five years. She has become a leader in what is probably our strongest and most experienced treatment team ever. Dena’s expertise in the field is seen in her facilitation of a wide variety of evidence-based treatment groups, such as Thinking For a Change, Aggression Replacement Training, and our newest group, Changing Offender Behavior.
During her time here, she has served the needs of dozens of young people, assisting them in making the personal changes necessary for them to be more successful, as well as to have a more positive impact on their communities.
Those of you who read the latest agency newsletter may recall reading about our program’s recent push toward student government, but you may not know that Dena was the spearhead of our first steps toward establishing a leadership group for our youth. Often working alone, Dena was in charge of some very important experiential learning as youth were placed in the position of planning and executing their own recreational and community service activities.
For many of our kids, this was one of the first times they had experienced being a positive influence on their community.
Those who know Dena understand that she is, at heart, a true servant of the misunderstood and displaced youth of our culture. She is a wonderful advocate for her kids, and works hard with our foster parents to help them in the sometimes frustrating task of caring for our youth. Dena has also been active in our community as a volunteer at the local animal shelters, and as a “Big Sister”.
It is for all these reasons and more that I am glad to announce this long overdue honor, and consider myself fortunate to have her as part of our staff and our community.