SOURCE: Pyramid Alternatives of Pacifica; Sitike Counseling Center of South San Francisco
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire – August 3, 2010) – Two leading non-profit providers of mental health and addiction recovery counseling services are merging their organizations to provide better care and more comprehensive, holistic counseling to those in need, it was announced today.
Pyramid Alternatives of Pacifica, which provides counseling on mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, and trauma services, will merge with Sitike Counseling Center of South San Francisco, a provider of addiction recovery services. The merged organizations will continue to be housed in their respective locations in Pacifica, South San Francisco, San Bruno and Half Moon Bay.
Rhonda Ceccato, executive director of Sitike Counseling Center, believes that by combining the two organizations, those in need will get more comprehensive, holistic counseling. “Two years ago, Janeen Smith and I began talking about our mutual concerns for the future,” she said. “The economic climate and the challenges of serving a more diverse and complex population, together with the need to attract and retain qualified staff, drove us to seriously consider a merger.”
Janeen Smith, executive director of Pyramid Alternatives, explained that the merger will result in better care for the organization’s clients. “Our new organization will be an important safety net for the San Mateo community, providing valuable services to an especially vulnerable population in this economy,” said Smith.
Ceccato and Smith both believe that the increasing emphasis on co-occurring or complex disorders as well as the desire among funders for larger, more comprehensive providers makes the merger a logical progression. An added benefit for staff will be the opportunity for quality training and career advancement. No layoffs are planned at this time, said Ceccato and Smith.
When the merger is completed, Rhonda Ceccato will serve as Executive Director and Janeen Smith will be Deputy Director. The respective Boards of both organizations will be combined to form a single Board of Directors.
Pyramid Alternatives has been serving clients in San Mateo County since 1973 and Sitike Counseling Center first opened its doors in 1988. The newly merged group will announce its new name by December 2010.
Rhonda Ceccato has more than 30 years of experience in the San Francisco Bay Area’s non-profit sector. Substance abuse treatment is both her passion and her area of expertise. Since 1993, Rhonda has served as Executive Director of Sitike Counseling Center, a community-based treatment center that provides a variety of recovery services for adult men and women. In 1995 Rhonda co-founded the San Mateo County Alcohol and Drug Providers’ Coalition, which recently merged with the San Mateo County Mental Health Contractors to form the Behavioral Health & Recovery Contractors Association. Prior to beginning her tenure at Sitike, Rhonda was Executive Director for the San Francisco Chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and from 1977 to 1992 Rhonda worked in various capacities, including Interim Executive Director for the Women’s Alcoholism Center in San Francisco. She played a key role in planning and designing the Bay Area’s first intensive outpatient and residential programs for pregnant and parenting women, Lee Woodward Counseling Center and Pomeroy House. Rhonda Ceccato was elected in 2002 to the San Mateo County Board of Education and serves as a Trustee for South San Francisco Unified School District. Rhonda also lends her expertise as an active participant in other community organizations and currently serves as a consultant to the Nurse Diversion Evaluation Board for the State of California Board of Registered Nursing.
Janeen Smith is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) with 20 years of experience in the field of mental health, substance abuse and violence prevention. She began her career in residential treatment at Bay Area Youth Centers in Hayward, California, in 1991. In 1995, she began work as a Case Manager for Edgewood Children’s Center in San Francisco after which she joined the Counseling Clinic at San Francisco State University. In 1997, she interned at Rape Trauma Services in Burlingame and began work at Pyramid Alternatives and has been there ever since. While at Pyramid, Janeen began as a staff counselor, was promoted from Outpatient Coordinator to Alternatives to Violence Manager and when licensed, became a clinical supervisor. In 2006, she was promoted to Deputy Director, and finally took over as Executive Director in 2007. Janeen’s passion is in partnerships and collaboration to improve services to the community. She is a co-founder of the North County Outreach Collaborative, (NCOC), and a co-founder of the Bayshore Community Prevention Project. Janeen is a member of the Co-Occurring Steering Committee of San Mateo County, the Daly City Partnership and Pacifica Collaborative. Janeen received a Masters of Counseling degree from San Francisco State University and her Bachelor of Science degree from San Diego State University.
Sitike Counseling Center
306 Spruce Avenue
South San Francisco, CA 94080
650-589-9305
www.sitike.org
Pyramid Alternatives
480 Manor Plaza
Pacifica CA 94044
650-355-8787
www.pyramidalternatives.org
Contacts:
Rhonda Ceccato
650-589-9305
Janeen Smith
650-355-8787
Click here to see all recent news from this company