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Keli Hinkemeyer
Keli Gwost MS LPC
Keli Hinkemeyer, MS LPC

Sobriety takes a community - We are here to help

As a person who has worked with men and women with addictions it saddens me to say that Passages, a hallway house for men located in the St. Cloud area, has closed it’s doors. When I was obtaining my Bachelor’s degree, I was given the opportunity to intern at Passages and see all of the great work they did for the St. Cloud community. They were a place of hope for men struggling with addiction and were one of the few programs that recognized and worked with single fathers.

While at Passages one of the most important things I learned was how addiction not only effects the person with the addiction, it also affects their family and friends. Family and friends are affected as they experience and live with the personality changes that may occur when people struggle with addiction. In addition, they feel like they need to “fix” the problem and take on additional responsibilities in order to compensate.  This can lead to an increased amount of stress, shame, and depression. 

Although family and friends can be affected, they are important to have as they offer motivation and support when seeking help. It allows people to start their recovery process and find reasons why they do not want the life they had. People are more likely to live a life of sobriety when they want to do it for themselves and have multiple groups of support. Counseling can help as it can help people find motivation and be an additional support network.

Passages helped thousands of people, and now that it has closed Lighthouse Counseling would like to offer it’s support. We have dozens of counselors all over Minnesota willing to help people with their mental health needs. Our Sauk Rapids office has a strong background in mental health as well as addiction work. If you or someone you know needs help with addiction or other mental health needs please call 855-454-2463. It is our mission is to help people find purpose, hope, and success in their personal lives and relationships.