Alice Olson, LCAC, LMHC, CCTP

Alice has been a counselor/therapist for over 40 years working with both hearing and deaf people to assist them in their journey for greater mental health or stable recovery from addiction.  Working in Northwest Indiana all of her professional life has allowed her to learn so much from each person she worked with. She is also a member of the National Association of Addiction Professionals and its Indiana affiliate. She has received recognition from several Indiana governors (Bowen and Orr) and with letters of commendation also from President Ronald Reagan for her work in the disability community in the state of Indiana. She was a member and/or chair of the Indiana Rehabilitation Commission for 7 years and long ago was a rehabilitation counselor for the deaf. Unable to find treatment centers able (many were willing) to treat her deaf clients, she ended up learning about addiction to assist deaf community members in finding recovery. She was President of the Indiana Chapter of Registry of Interpreters of the Deaf as well as the Indiana Deafness and Rehabilitation Association to further acceptance of Deaf people in the community. She was a member and the chair of the Valparaiso’s Mayor’s Advisory Council for People with Disabilities for 3 years. She has been a process group therapist for over 35 years and has enjoyed assisting people in their journey of recovery. A consultant to several local library systems regarding disability needs, she continues to work toward the full participation of people with disabilities and in recovery in their own community. She has taught classes at Indiana University Northwest, Purdue Northwest and taught sign language classes in various cities in Northwest Indiana. She continues to work her own recovery program as an adult child of an alcoholic and has done much trauma work for herself and others. She has chosen to give back to the community by becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in Porter County.