BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY WITH

THE WILLOWS TODAY!

Enrollment at The Willows

If you or someone you love is struggling with trauma, mental health issues, and/or addiction, The Willows at Red Oak Recovery® can help. Our gender-responsive program specializes in providing women and their families with the skills and confidence needed to embrace a new beginning. Our comprehensive treatment services offer personalized attention that integrates proven therapeutic approaches with beneficial holistic services.

Enrollment at The Willows: What to Expect

Enrollment

Once women are ready to begin the healing process, our multidisciplinary staff will collaborate with clients to design an individualized treatment plan. From the moment you confidentially contact The Willows at Red Oak Recovery® enrollment office, our professionals will be there to discuss your clinical history, substance abuse, mental health, and treatment goals. We will also be available to verify your health insurance and address any financial matters in paying for addiction rehab. In order to provide help for women in need of treatment, The Willows at Red Oak Recovery® works with many national insurance providers. Additionally, we offer various financing options.

The enrollment process at The Willows at Red Oak Recovery® also includes:

  • Onsite Assessment: Our experienced physicians and multidisciplinary clinical staff members will evaluate your overall wellbeing along with your mental health, trauma, and/or addiction background to develop an individualized treatment plan.
  • Arrival Date: Our professionals will work with you to set an enrollment date. In some cases, we can accommodate for same-day enrollment.
  • Transportation: The Willows at Red Oak Recovery® wants to make sure that young women arrive through the safest, most emotionally secure means. We are happy to transport clients from the Asheville Regional Airport or recommend a sober transportation service. We partner with a network of therapeutic professionals and are happy to manage all logistics.
  • Support for Families: Family counseling enables parents to be a vital part of the treatment process and heal relationships within the family system. Parents are clinically supported when keeping in touch with their loved one throughout their stay. We also believe in educating family members and guiding them through the emotions associated with having a loved one in treatment. We offer remote sessions with a family therapist as well as a monthly family workshop.

What to Bring

  • All items should be able to fit in 1 carry-on bag and personal backpack
  • 2-3 washable facemasks without wire
  • Prescription medications must be in original bottle with clear dosage labels (1-2 week supply)
  • Shoes / sneakers (up to 4 pairs) – We provide hiking boots and crocs
  • 10 pairs of underwear & 10 pairs of socks
  • Shorts (x3)
  • Pants (x3)
  • 10 Shirts (long and short sleeve)
  • Sweatshirt/Hooded Sweatshirt
  • Hat
  • Yoga pants
  • Comfortable/athletic clothing for going to the gym
  • Eyeglasses, as well as 1 back up pair (if applicable)
  • Contacts with cases, as well as 2 back up pairs (if applicable)
  • Sports bras or bras with no underwire
  • Dental retainer with case (if applicable)
  • 2 inhalers (if applicable)
  • 2 Epi-Pens if client has a history of anaphylaxis and/or requires rescue Epi-Pens regularly.
  • Musical Instruments if desired (guitars, violin, horned instruments, etc.) No full drum kits. Hand drums are okay.
  • 1-3 personal comfort items (pillow, blanket, etc.)
  • 1-3 personal books/journals (books will need to be approved by therapist upon arrival) no notebooks/journals that are wire bound
  • Vitamins, but they MUST be unopened and sealed

What Not to Bring

  • Remove drawstrings from hoodies, pajamas, etc.
  • Bedding (we will provide all the towels, bed sheets, pillows, and comforters).
  • Cigarettes, nicotine, vapes, etc.
  • Cell Phones, laptops, I-pods, and other electronic items
  • Food – All food will be provided by The Willows
  • Money
  • No makeup, hair straightener, or hair dryer
  • No belts
  • No razors (we will provide)
  • No glass or sharp objects
  • No crop tops/sheer/revealing tops
  • No overalls
  • Bras with underwire
  • No extra jewelry

Any questions regarding what to bring can be directed to our Enrollment Department at (855) 416-5355.

Exclusionary Criteria for Enrollment

The Willows at Red Oak Recovery® does not treat:

  • Actively homicidal or suicidal behaviors
  • Actively invested in self-harming behaviors
  • Physical aggression
  • Anti-social behavior
  • Active psychosis
  • Primary diagnosis of an active eating disorder
  • Diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
  • Medically fragile
  • Not ambulatory

If we feel as though other programs may be a better fit for you or your loved one, we are able to offer other options for treatment or to work with a referring professional. Additionally, if you are concerned about paying for rehab, we can help you. For more information about our enrollment process, call 855.416.5355 today.

Our Staff

Maggie Cain 1

Maggie Cain, LCMHC-A

Director of Business Development

Maggie’s first home was in the great state of Texas. Collegiate tennis and a full scholarship sent her to Arkansas. There, she found her first career and love for helping people. Her first job landed her in the nonprofit fundraising sector. For thirteen years, she was blessed with raising awareness and much-needed funds for children and families seeking support, hope, and love through programs for psychiatric, emotional, and behavioral care in Arkansas. After earning her master’s in mental health and clinical counseling in 2016 from Southern Arkansas University, she became a licensed associate counselor in Arkansas and recently (2018) transferred her license to North Carolina as a licensed professional counselor associate.

Additionally, for fourteen months, beginning in December 2016, Maggie provided part-time counseling for Bradford Health Services IOP of Little Rock. Working with the clients and their families at Bradford Health Services was equally fulfilling and joyful as connecting donors to change the lives of others through their financial gifts. That experience and her love of helping people led her to a desire to stay in addiction treatment. Maggie found herself seeking through the clients’ strengths and desires for help to be a part of a team that feels the same passion for helping and ensures every client an opportunity to succeed.

Maggie’s biggest strength is that she finds daily happiness in helping others and connecting others to that feeling of joy. Her passion for helping the whole family heal will live on through her work at Red Oak Recovery® by sharing about our programs with clinicians, treatment programs, and families.

Maggie could not be happier to now live in Arden, NC, with her husband and to explore this beautiful state on foot and in a kayak.

Carol Rose

Carol Rose, MHDL CARC ITC-1

Collegiate and Community Outreach Specialist

Carol earned her master’s in counseling from UNC Charlotte. Her degree has taught her the importance of being a good listener and building a trusting relationship, whether she is working with the individual asking for help, a family member, or a mental health professional. Carol believes that during a time of crisis, trust is paramount to finding a good place to heal.

Carol was the founding coordinator for The Collegiate Recovery Program at UNC Charlotte, a program offering support to students in early recovery. It was there that she developed her own trusting relationships with her community in order to grow the program. Carol also brings personal experience with addiction within her own family, which she shares to offer hope to families in need. Her personal experience allows her to empathize and explain the journey a family will take not only while at Red Oak but also beyond. Helping families find continued support within their community is a big part of Carol’s job as a collegiate and clinical outreach specialist. She has received additional training as a certified addiction recovery coach (CARC) and uses the CRAFT and Invitation to Change models of support when helping families.

In her spare time, Carol enjoys watching old movies, spending time with her husband of 42 years, Marty, being proud of her two grown daughters, and seeing them thrive.

Sam Hayes

Sam Hayes, CADC-I

Business Development

Bio coming soon!

Dan O Gorman

Dan O’Gorman

Outreach Coordinator

Bio coming soon!

Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter

Outreach Coordinator

Bio coming soon!

Josh Gunalda 3

Josh Gunalda

Admissions Director

Josh has over 21 years of experience working directly with clients and families in mental health and substance abuse treatment programs. Josh understands that it is through direct and professional collaboration that many families find the support they need. Josh is willing to work tirelessly for clients and family members to support them through these difficult decisions.

Josh’s journey began in a direct care role with adolescents in an experiential therapeutic program where he was propelled in the direction of service and education. From there, Josh was granted the opportunity to take his skills and experience to assist in developing and opening a new young adult substance abuse and mental health treatment program, where he served as a program director for several years. During this time, Josh facilitated countless family orientations and workshops, gaining invaluable insight into the broader needs of the clients he served, specifically the importance of family system support and education.

Aiming to expand his impact on those in need and fulfill his passion for helping others, Josh accepted a position in an admissions department supporting four separate treatment centers. This experience offered tremendous experience with a wide range of clients from all over the world. Josh accepted the director of admissions role for one of these programs, where he served for over nine years. Josh has since served as the director of admissions for two additional centers. Josh has worked alongside treatment professionals throughout his career, including therapists, psychologists, interventionists, therapeutic consultants, sober escorts, and community leaders.

Josh is a proud father of two active and amazing boys. Becoming a father was one of the most rewarding positions he could have asked for. Seeing his boys grow and experience life is a great pleasure for Josh each and every day.

Doug Carter 2 Scaled 3

Doug Carter, CADC

Admissions Manager

Bio coming soon!

Wesley Culpepper

Wesley Culpepper

Senior Admissions Counselor

Wesley Culpepper grew up in Columbus, GA, where he enjoyed playing sports and spending time outdoors. In high school, he began to struggle with addiction and was sent to boarding school, where his substance use only escalated. After multiple attempts in college and bouncing around between treatment centers, he finally gained the willingness to accept help from others. In June 2017, Wesley moved to Asheville, NC, and began his journey to obtain long-term sobriety. Now, he is active in the recovery community and is living a fulfilling life helping others achieve sobriety.

Wesley has worked in several different roles within the treatment industry, including direct care, case management, family communication, operations, and now enrollment. This experience helped him to develop a desire to work closely with families of loved ones in treatment, which led him to join the enrollment team at Red Oak Recovery®. Wesley has also recently completed the ARISE 3.5-Day Comprehensive Care with Invitational Intervention Workshop and will soon begin supervision to become a certified ARISE interventionist. Wesley is passionate about helping young people who are struggling and showing them that they can accomplish anything if they are willing to ask for help and accept it.

Wesley spends his free time enjoying all that Asheville has to offer. You can often find him running long distances, hiking, and camping with his wife, Nancy, and their dog, Etta. Wesley also enjoys mountain biking in Bent Creek and paddle boarding along the French Broad. Wesley and Nancy are also expecting a child in the spring and are looking forward to this new chapter in their life.

Kelsey Mansfield

Kelsey Mansfield, CADC-I

Senior Admissions Counselor

Kelsey grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, as the youngest of three children within a close-knit family system. She began to struggle with the complexity of addiction and other co-occurring disorders at the age of 17. This would begin a 10-year struggle, the result being many lost jobs, homes, and, most acutely, her sense of purpose. Kelsey came to Asheville in 2019 when she first went to treatment and ended up finding healing, peace, and stability that she never thought possible.

Kelsey has served in various roles at Red Oak, ranging from direct care as a shift supervisor, alumni coordinator, and sober living founder to later transitioning into her current admissions role. She is passionate about the belief that one is truly never without hope and that the debris that stems from our past can always be repaired. Through her work with women, Kelsey has found meaning within humor, commonalities, and the breaking down of barriers that can culturally separate people from one another. She is currently working towards her CADC and returning to school in hopes of becoming a family therapist.

When Kelsey is not working, you can find her spending time with her labradoodle-dachshund mix named Dox, getting coffee with friends, or watching documentaries.

Christopher Taylor

Chris Taylor

Admissions Counselor

Chris grew up in Atlanta, GA, where he enjoyed playing football and lacrosse throughout high school. Chris then attended Georgia College and Georgia State University and graduated in 2014 with a degree in outdoor education and a minor in psychology. He planned to work in wilderness therapy, but life took him in another direction, where he was a service manager for a pest control company in the greater Atlanta area.

Struggling with his own mental health issues and going through treatment, he wanted to find a way to give back to those who are struggling. This landed him in Asheville, where he initially worked as a house manager for a local aftercare. Chris then began his journey with Red Oak as a recovery support specialist at The Willows at Red Oak Recovery® shortly after. He also served as a team supervisor before joining the admissions team. While at The Willows, he was able to lead groups on backpacking trips and experiential activities and share his love for the outdoors.

Outside of work, you can find Chris enjoying a round of disc golf, rock climbing, and spending some quality time with his partner and dog.

Ashley Egeland 1

Ashley Egeland, CADC-I

Director of Marketing and Alumni Relations

Ashley joined the Red Oak family in July 2017. Since then, she has worn many hats in the company: marketing coordinator, recovery support specialist, women’s team lead, admissions director, alumni coordinator, and now, our director of marketing & alumni relations.

Ashley was born and raised in the suburb of Littleton, Colorado. In 2016, she made her way across the country and entered our women’s program at The Willows at Red Oak. She is a proud Columbine shooting survivor and a powerful woman in recovery. Today, she continues to support other survivors of mass shootings and addiction to be a guide to those in need.

In her free time, she loves to dance, write, paint, play volleyball, and enjoy the beautiful trails and rivers that surround Asheville, NC. She is currently in school with the hopes of one day being able to dive into the world of research around collective trauma. Her bucket list shifts and changes every day, but if you asked her what her perfect day would be, she would describe it as spending a day laughing with her parents and siblings about their days growing up together in Colorado.