It’s Our Mission to Foster a Healthy Community
Sitka Counseling prevents and reduces the harmful effects of mental illness and substance abuse in the lives of youth, adults, and families within our community. We provide caring, professional, therapeutic, and preventative services. We are a 501c3 non-profit corporation.
Our Story
In 2004, Sitka Prevention and Treatment Services merged with Islands Counseling Services to form Sitka Counseling. Both agencies had been in operation in Sitka for over 25 years. Since then, Sitka Counseling has continued to be an active force in the community striving to prevent and treat behavioral health issues; improve quality of life for individuals and families affected by behavioral health problems; and promote healthy, productive lifestyles.
We serve the geographical area encompassing Sitka, Baranof Island, and Yakutat. We also accept referrals from across the State of Alaska for the adult residential program, Aurora’s Watch.
Behavioral health issues affect citizens in all socio-economic and racial backgrounds, but tend to produce more devastating effects in the lives of individuals on the lower socio-economic end of the spectrum and in the racial minority. Historically, the majority of our service population consists of low-income and/or minority residents who encounter significant barriers to treatment.
We don’t claim any religious affiliation. We serve those of all faiths, as well as agnostics. We endeavor to promote a spiritual component in recovery of the individual’s own choosing and encourage each individual to explore their own spiritual beliefs as a part of our holistic approach to treatment and recovery.
OUR MISSION
To contribute to the social, behavioral, and emotional well-being of our diverse community and its members by providing professional preventative and therapeutic behavioral health services in a welcoming, accessible, integrated, continuous, and comprehensive continuum of care.
We’re CARF Accredited
Sitka Counseling is committed to serving high quality services and maintaining a high level of standards for business practice. We currently hold a Three-Year Accreditation from CARF International in the following, which encompasses all of our programs:
• Community Housing: Alcohol and Other Drugs/Addictions (adults)
• Outpatient Treatment: Integrated: AOD/MH (adults, children and adolescents)
CARF International determines which providers offer the highest quality service. They are an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services providers in the areas of Aging Services, Behavioral Health, Child and Youth Services, Durable Medical Equipment, Employment and Community Services, Medical Rehabilitation, Opioid Treatment Programs, and Vision Rehabilitation Services.
Programs and services that are CARF accredited have demonstrated their conformance to internationally recognized standards for service delivery. They have demonstrated their commitment to continuous quality improvement and a consumer-driven focus.
Through accreditation, providers demonstrate their belief that all people have the right to be treated with dignity and respect, have access to needed services that achieve optimum outcomes, and are empowered to exercise informed choice. We are pleased to join CARF in their mission.
