Paige is an Internationally Certified Addiction Counselor through both the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Certification Board of Georgia (Certification # 576) and IC&RC (Certification # 204788). She is also a Medication Assisted Treatment Specialist (#M0052 ) through the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Certification Board of Georgia (ADACBGA) as well as a DBHDD Clinical Evaluator (# 3287).
Paige has pursued multiple career paths which has allowed her to acquire numerous transferable skills. Paige began her career as a probation officer in 1998, quickly working her way up to become a recognized program evaluator and CBT expert, as well as working as an addiction counselor at the Athens Day Reporting Center (ASAM II) for six years. Paige worked full time for the Georgia Department of Corrections for thirteen years, where she primarily served as a Social Services Program Consultant III, before being promoted into a similar position for another state agency. Her major responsibilities included overseeing program fidelity at probation supervision offices, Day Reporting Centers and prisons across Georgia, assisting with the development of policies and procedures related to programming, as well as developing new curriculum and training for counselors in the agency. She has simultaneously been an integral member of the Western Judicial Circuit Veterans Treatment Court Program, since its creation in 2013, providing cognitive behavioral programs and substance use disorder counseling services to participants enrolled in the program. One of Paige's favorite work activities is delivering training at substance use disorder and law enforcement conferences, where she is known for her lively and engaging presentations.
Paige completed her coursework for the CADC II at Mercer University in 2011. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in both Sociology and Criminal Justice cum laude at The University of Georgia in 1998. Paige first began teaching the internationally acclaimed Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) program in 1999 and has been an Advanced Trainer for the program for more than 15 years. She is one of the few trusted by Correctional Counseling Incorporated (CCI) to complete certifications for those seeking MRT “Train the Trainer” status. Paige is a fierce supporter of those in need of substance use disorder services, as well as an outspoken advocate for victim rights, criminal justice reform, and Medication Assisted Recovery, believing that all of these services save lives. She has a particular passion for working with the Veteran population and is well known in Athens for this reason.
Paige’s overriding theoretical approach is cognitive behaviorally based. She believes that a person’s thoughts, feelings and attitudes drive behavior and that by addressing faulty belief systems, clients can change their inappropriate behaviors. She enjoys using motivational interviewing techniques to encourage clients to think about how their future goals are in congruent to how they are currently living. Her goal is to empower clients to change their lives and she enjoys seeing them accomplish goals that were previously thought unattainable.
Described as very energetic, caring, and motivated, Paige wants to use the knowledge that she has attained to help clients “be happy” and to create a network of relationships that can be used to support a collaborative of people who are willing to help one another.
When she is not working, Paige is heavily vested in the recovery community and participates in organizing events to help the homeless community in Athens, Ga. She enjoys practicing vinyasa and aerial yoga as well as doing “anything outdoors” or “on the water”. She currently lives in a renovated 150 year old farmhouse and is the proud parent of three spoiled fur babies, Tupelo, Romeo and Casanova.
Casanova and Romeo
Paige and Casanova at a virtual conference
Tupelo
Tupelo and Romeo on his first day at the farmhouse