Feel happier
with the help of alicensed counselor
- Start right away – no waitlist
- Get matched to the right counselor
- Telemedicine options are available
- We accept Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance
- Sliding fee scale available
Welcome to Behavioral Health services at Sunshine Community Health Center (SCHC). We look forward to the opportunity to assist you in reaching your personal goals. We specialize in a variety of services such as individual, couples, family, and group therapy.
At SCHC we believe in providing a team approach to giving you the best care possible. Our Behavioral Health team also provides integrated care with our Primary Care Providers to provide you with holistic, patient-centered care.
To begin your journey towards a happier, healthier life call and make an appointment today. Use the appointment web form on this page or call Helen Michaelson or Tanya Olson at:
- Talkeetna – 907-733-9292
- Willow – 495-4100
- Wasilla – 376-2273, Option 1, Extension EXT. 2660
Behavioral Health Providers
Sarah Blanning, LCSW

Patrick Albert, LCSW
Linsdey Russell, LCSW
Lindsey attended Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and Middle Tennessee State University. She completed her Master of Social Work at the University of TN College of Social Work in 2013 and has worked in behavioral health since 2009.
Lindsey has participated in internships including school-based counseling and adoption and foster care. Lindsey has a varied background including working for community mental health, residential facilities, and private practice. Lindsey works with her client using a strengths-based approach and uses humor and empathy in sessions to improve comfort and instill trust in building a collaborative relationship together. Lindsey enjoys working with a variety of populations including couples, individuals, and families and specializes in working with parenting, life adjustments, mood disorders, anxiety/panic and relational stressors.
Linsdey is a wife and mother to three beautiful and wild children. She recently moved from North Carolina to Alaska to start our new family adventure. In her spare time, she enjoy spending time with family, doing artwork, reading and fishing.

Marly Torres, LCSW
Marly graduated from Hope College with a BA Major in Psychology and Sociology and a Minor in History. She received her M.S.W from Western Michigan University.
Marly is from Michigan and recently moved to Alaska with her beagle to enjoy the outdoors, beauty and adventure that Alaska has to offer. She enjoys working with kids, teens, and their families to help create positive change in their lives.

Tanya Korta, LPC
Originally from Minnesota, Tanya has lived in rural Alaska for 28 years. She worked as an elementary school teacher for 11 years before transitioning to health care and earning a master’s degree in community counseling from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2014.
Tanya has worked with people of all ages and has experience helping with a range of issues including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and trauma. She has recently received training in using play therapy techniques for all ages and believes that play is the work of children and an important aspect of healthy adult living as well. Tanya uses a person-centered, strength-based approach to her work with clients. Tanya lives in Talkeetna with her husband, Jon. They have three grown children. She enjoys outdoor adventures, wood heat, crowded dinner tables, and small-town living.
Kirsten Strolle, LMSW
Kirsten has been a Behavioral Health Care Manager at SCHC since 2016 and has worked in direct services for over 10 years serving a variety of patients, both children and adults, including survivors of sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse.
Kirsten graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2007 with a B.S. in Political Science and a Minor in Sociology. She earned her M.S.W. from the University of New England in 2020. She completed her clinical internship at SCHC which included individual sessions and a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Group.
Kirsten enjoys hiking, skiing and foraging.

Courtney BeeBe, LMSW
Courtney graduated from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2019 with her Master’s of Science in Social Work. She also acquired a graduate certificate in the Treatment of Trauma in 2019. For two years, Courtney worked with adults in a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program and is familiar with patients who struggle with substance abuse. She is also comfortable providing crisis interventions to patients and enjoys working with those in crisis. More recently, Courtney has been working with adolescents and families within the Mat-Su School District. She enjoys the fast-paced environment of working within the schools as well as a more clinical role at the Wasilla clinic location. Courtney also enjoys running groups with patients and has led groups for Anger Management, Substance Abuse, Domestic Violence (survivors), and Life Skills for Adolescents. The approach Courtney takes with clients is they are the expert in their lives and change comes from within. Some of the therapeutic modalities she uses are Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Trauma Narrative, and Person-Centered Therapy.

Behavioral Health Services
Integrated Care
Individual / Family / Couples
Domestic Violence Support
Domestic Violence
Learn:
- About the cycle of abuse
- What are warning signs of domestic violence
- What support services are available
Addiction Recovery Treatment
Living With Substance Abuse
Learn:
- What is Substance Abuse
- How to Recognize it
- What are the Impacts on Families
- Treatment Options
Office Based Opioid Treatment
The Office Based Opiate Treatment (OBOT) program that combines the use of the medication, Suboxone®, an FDA approved medication for treatment of people with opiate dependence, with outpatient Behavioral Health treatment. This program helps people struggling with opiate addiction transition from a life of drug dependence to a life of recovery. Suboxone® contains two types of medication, buprenorphine and Naloxone®, which complement each other in detoxification and maintenance therapy. Maintenance therapy can continue as long as deemed medically necessary by the physician. Behavioral Health treatment consists of an assessment followed by group and individual counseling as agreed upon by the treatment team. The OBOT program at SCHC requires a commitment to abstinence from all substances, including nicotine, once a person is in the program. Support will be given to people who need assistance in stopping the use of substances other than opiates. In Phase I of the program, all group sessions are held at the Talkeetna clinic.
Are you or someone you know struggling with opiate addiction? Medication Assisted Treatment using Suboxone is one option to consider. If you are interested in learning more about this type of treatment, you can contact our Behavioral Health Assistant at 733-9202.
If you’d like more information, this article describes the research on the effectiveness of MAT.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. To date, EMDR therapy has helped millions of people of all ages relieve many types of psychological stress. The amount of time the complete treatment will take depends upon the history of the client. Complete treatment of the targets involves a three pronged protocol (past, present, and future), and are needed to alleviate the symptoms and address the complete clinical picture. The goal of EMDR therapy is to process completely the experiences that are causing problems, and to include new ones that are needed for full health. “Processing” does not mean talking about it. “Processing” means setting up a learning state that will allow experiences that are causing problems to be “digested” and stored appropriately in your brain. That means that what is useful to you from an experience will be learned, and stored with appropriate emotions in your brain, and be able to guide you in positive ways in the future. The inappropriate emotions, beliefs, and body sensations will be discarded.
Additional Resources
Title | Description | Version | Download |
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Acute Stress | Learn:
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Anger Management | Learn:
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Coronavirus-Anxiety-Workbook | DownloadPreview | ||
Cutting and Self Harm | Learn:
| DownloadPreview | |
Depression | Learn:
| DownloadPreview | |
Domestic Violence | Learn:
| DownloadPreview | |
Grief | Learn:
| DownloadPreview | |
Living With Substance Abuse | Learn:
| DownloadPreview | |
coping with stress during coronavirus | DownloadPreview |