Crystal Brill has three claims to fame – she was an extra in the movie Twister, worked for ACT before it became Counseling & Recovery Services, and returned to create a more efficient and welcoming environment for our new clients as Intake & Engagement Manager.
Her hometown, Wakita in northcentral Oklahoma, is small but has a big claim to fame: it was hit by the twister in the movie Twister.
“I got to meet Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt and Phillip Seymore Hoffman,” Crystal said. “A bunch of us walked around on the streets. They also used my aunt’s farmhouse for the scene where young Jo (Helen Hunt’s character) lost her home and dad in a twister. They built her farmhouse back up just to tear it down.”
Crystal worked for ACT as a case manager in our school-based program at Nimitz Middle School (2007-09) where she was lovingly called “the anger management lady.”
In 2009, she joined the DVIS staff as an intern while finishing her master’s degree at OSU-Tulsa. She came to Counseling & Recovery Services three months ago from DVIS where she was Vice President of Children’s Trauma.
She wanted to become part of Counseling & Recovery Services to work with Clinical Director Andre Campbell and to expand her mental health career working with adults.
“Everything is so different, and better, here since I left in 2009. There are so many more programs for clients,” Crystal said. “I love the Sanctuary model and how the company places an emphasis on employee morale and self-care. You spend more time with your work family than you do with your home family so it’s important to feel valued and respected. Sanctuary does that here.”
Crystal is creating the new Intake & Engagement Department from scratch. She looks forward to visiting with our referral sources and building even stronger relationships.