Our Team

Daniel currently serves as the Director of Clinical and Residential Services. A farm kid from Ohio, Daniel believes in hard work partnered with care and nurture. He has worked for over 15 years in the mental health field and has served as a direct care staff, therapist, clinical supervisor, and clinical director in programs specializing in lockdown residential treatment, sex offender treatment, group home care, school-based services, and outpatient services. He earned his Masters of Arts in Counseling from Waynesburg University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Daniel specializes in childhood development and complex trauma work throughout the life stages. He is passionate about digging in and coming alongside the tough and complicated situations that so many experience. Daniel is incredibly excited to be reaching even earlier into intervention with our families. He and his wife stay busy after work chasing six children and a variety of farm animals in an attempt to live simply but fully.

Kendall has been a part of Florence Crittenton as a Licensed Addictions Counselor for about three years. Kendall works with residential and outpatient clients in both an individual and group setting. Kendall has been in the field of addictions for 7 years and is currently licensed through the state of Montana. Kendall has a Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences, as well as a Graduate Certification in Licensed Addiction Counseling both from Montana State University. Go Cats! Kendall is currently in school full-time pursuing her master’s degree in social work. Kendall has recognized the need for dually licensed providers for client success. Kendall will graduate in June and pursue hours to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Kendall grew up in Helena and moved to Bozeman to pursue her education. As a young single mother herself, she realized her passion for wanting to help young mothers and families, which brought her back to Helena and to Florence Crittenton. Kendall wholeheartedly believes that compassion and empathy can help clients and their families live a purposeful, and joy-filled lives. Kendall looks forward to supporting and empowering all of her clients on their journey in recovery.

When not at work you can find Kendall at the lake, getting outside with her 5-month-old and 4-year-old sons, or in the mountains hiking.

Kara Brockett served Florence Crittenton as the Admissions coordinator for a year before transitioning into the Clinical Services Program Manager. Kara graduated from Park University in 2016 with her bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management. She has worked in the healthcare field for more than 15 years, however, decided to follow her heart and passion into an even more rewarding career in nonprofit, serving young mothers and families.

Kara’s driving force is her husband and 3 children that are her world. She knew from a young age she wanted to be a mother, and she is now living her dream. She believes the Helena community is a wonderful community to raise children in, there is support from every angle, someone always willing to help. During her free time when Kara isn’t cleaning, she loves getting her children outside on adventures, hiking, fishing, camping, and her son’s favorite…skipping rocks at the lake.

Her desire has always been to help people, specifically pregnant and nursing mothers. She has such a passion for young families and a desire to empower mothers and young families so that they can reach their full God-given potential. Coming to Florence Crittenton has been a beautiful transition in her career and allows her to fill this passion. She is excited to continue growing in such a great organization and bonding with the team and the clients. She believes the future holds great things for the organization and is excited to be a part of the dream becoming a reality!

Juliana, also known as Julie, is originally from San Diego, CA. She is the mother of two beautiful children, and she moved to Montana in April of 2020 amid the COVID pandemic to give her children a better life and to focus on school.

Julie joined Florence Crittenton in June of 2020 as a Family-Centered Aide. After her first day as a floor staff, she didn’t quite understand the meaning behind the work that is put into this place, the women, and their children, but she stayed with it. Six months later Julie was promoted to Rehab Aide, becoming part of the Clinical team, and was now supporting clients with meeting personal goals and helping them build skills in areas like independent living, social skills, education, employment, and parenting. She considered herself their “right hand woman”.

Shortly after her first promotion, a Case Management opportunity presented itself and, being a person who seeks and needs constant growth and improvement in her life, she went for it and has been a Case Manager for our women in Recovery since March of 2022. Julie is currently enrolled at Helena College to finish her nursing degree; however, she says that continuing with some social work doesn’t sound too bad to her either!

When not at work, Julie enjoys getting out of the house with her children and cooking. Julie’s love language? Anything spicy!

Bob joined Florence Crittenton in 2018 and serves as our Medical Director. Bob has practiced in Helena for over 23 years both in private practice and on a contract basis with other agencies.

Most recently Bob worked with AWARE, Inc. and prior to that he was a psychiatrist for the PACT (Program of Assertive Community Treatment) at the Center for Mental Health.

Bob has extensive experience in both public and private psychiatry including inpatient, outpatient, consulting and addiction psychiatry. He has also held faculty appointments at the University of California, Davis and at the University of New Mexico. He holds a Bachelors degree in Music, a Masters in Computer Science and his Medical Doctorate from UNM.

In his spare time Bob enjoys music and sings in the Helena Symphony Chorale as well as taking occasional parts in Helena’s local Ballet Company. He is an avid private pilot and enjoys flying kids in the Young Eagles Program.

Bob is excited to draw on all the skills and experience he has accumulated during his career to help the young families at Florence Crittenton.

Amber joined the Florence Crittenton team in 2019 as a SafeCare Home Visitor. Upon graduating with her master’s degree in social work from Walla Walla University’s adjunct campus in Missoula, she transitioned to the role of Clinical Therapist with our residential programs in late 2020. Amber originally comes from Minnesota where she completed her undergraduate degree in social work with a minor in human relations. There she worked as and Case Manager for adults living with developmental disabilities until moving to Montana to complete a year of service with AmeriCorps and the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.

Amber is passionate about supporting families with the belief that every individual cultivates their unique perspective of this world through the lens of their upbringing. Creating a healthy world starts at the root of each individual- their childhood experiences.

Understanding the impacts of adverse childhood experiences on the life span has been an influential focus of Amber’s studies, she works to integrate this trauma- informed care as a foundation to build upon cognitive behavioral, solutions focused, strengths-based, and person-centered techniques. Amber strives to provide each client with an individualized therapeutic experience tailored to meet their needs in the safety of a judgment free environment where every client feels heard and accepted.

Shelly is from Washington state and has enjoyed her sobriety since July 23, 2017. Once Shelly started her journey in recovery, she knew that she wanted to work with other addicts and alcoholics.

Shelly gained experience and confidence working in mental health and treatment services during her previous work at Lynnwood Recreation Center and Residence XII, before finding Newport Academy. There, she worked with adolescent women ages 13-18, learning about mental health and the underlying issues that come along when it is untreated. While working with these amazing girls, she was able to share her own experiences, strength, and hope. She hoped they would hear something from her experiences to help them avoid the path of addiction.

In August of 2020, Shelly moved Helena to be with her youngest son and soon began work at Florence Crittenton as a Family-Centered Aide. Shelly knows that she belongs with Florence Crittenton because she has a passion for working alongside mothers trying to make a new life. Through sharing her experiences, strength, and hope with these women she knows she can advocate for them and help them succeed in their own journeys. In June of 2022, Shelly was promoted to Recovery Support Specialist and is now a certified Peer Support Specialist.

Shelly says that no matter what kind of day we have in our recovery journey she knows one thing, “As long as you have hope, you never give up,” and that this work is what she will do for the rest of her life.

Kendall, known as ‘Grandma K’ (to avoid confusion with the other red-headed Kendall) is a grateful newcomer to Florence Crittenton. She has a background in mental health, working in chemical dependency, women’s shelters, and mental health agencies.

Kendall is the proud mother of four grown children, and the lucky wife of her husband of 33 years.

Lenna Pocklington is an experienced professional with 25 years of direct care experience, specializing in working with individuals with developmental disabilities and older adults. In 2018, she served as a direct support specialist at Family Outreach and quickly rose to a management position. In 2021, Lenna relocated to Missoula and assumed the role of program manager at Missoula Aging Services. Alongside her extensive experience in direct care, Lenna is deeply passionate about combating drug addiction and possesses a great deal of compassion for people in need.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her kids, watching football, and reading. Lenna recently relocated back from Missoula to Helena and is very excited to have an opportunity to be a part of the Florence Crittenton mission.

Jolene Van Valkenburgh is the Program Manager/ Case Manager for the Residential Programs at Florence Crittenton Homes and Services. Jolene joined the Florence Crittenton team May of 2017, and found working with pregnant and parenting women rewarding. Jolene finds fulfillment in connecting clients to comprehensive resources and advocating for individuals and their families.

Jolene brings 18 years of experiences from work at the Montana Development Center, Alternative Youth Adventures/ Youth Dynamics Inc., Acadia of Montana, and Intermountain Children’s Home.

Her experiences spans from direct client care, supervisory roles, school base services, to managing residential programs at Florence Crittenton Home and Services.

Jolene is a Certified trainer with Crisis Prevention Intervention, trained in trauma informed care, and is a Licensed Foster Care provider.

As a native Montanan, Amanda was motivated to pursue her graduate degree in Missoula from Walla Walla University. She completed her undergraduate degree in social work and addictions counseling curriculum at the University of Montana. Her experience with social work includes case management, client advocacy, and co-occurring therapy. Amanda is currently working with residential and outpatient clients with mental health and addiction related therapeutic needs.

Working with youth, families, clients with addictions, and survivors of interpersonal violence have all had an influential impact on Amanda’s desire to be able to help clients with multiple therapeutic needs. Amanda appreciates the importance of being able to treat both mental health and addiction concerns for client success.

Understanding the complex nature of every person’s journey, Amanda integrates individualized and trauma-informed care into treatment. She is passionate about providing a safe and welcoming space to explore experiences and goals using a strength-based approach while motivated to support and empower her clients and their families in pursuing their goals of wellness.