Meet the professional team devoted to supporting our youth. They keep the wheels on, welcome the kids, and stock the treats daily. Our outstanding staff of mental health counselors and well-educated and licensed professionals form the backbone of BYS, and our friendly staff eagerly greets youth and help facilitate tutoring, counseling, service, and summer internship programs.
Courtney Oliver, LMHC
Executive Director
Courtney Oliver, LMHC, Director of Youth Services
Advice for my teenage self: Stop worrying about what others think and enjoy life!
Favorite quote: If all else fails, smile.
What makes me happy to be alive: Creative expression, the beginning of a season, family time, music, laughing with others.
Courtney stepped into the role of Executive Director in February 2021. She joined BYS as a counselor in January 2016 and has been the clinical services director since June 2017. She was promoted to Youth Services Director in November 2019. She is a Washington licensed mental health and chemical dependency professional with more than 12 years in the mental health field.
I love that BYS is able to provide youth free services like counseling and peer tutoring. Teens are so much fun to work with! They are so wise and perceptive. We can learn a lot from our youth.
Brittany Wisner
Youth Services Manager
Brittany Wisner, Youth Services Manager
Advice for my teenage self: Trust yourself. Don’t let others tell you that what you’re feeling isn’t valid, because it is.
Favorite quote: The world I believe in is one where embracing your light doesn’t mean ignoring your dark. ~ Kevin Breel
What makes me happy to be alive? My friends. My brother. The smell of freshly cut grass on a softball or baseball field. Singing loudly with strangers at concerts. Seattle sports. A good grilled cheese sandwich.
Brittany is the beloved face of BYS. She has worked with BYS since 2018 and loves working with teens for so many reasons (she is also the BHS softball coach). Brittany’s go-to self-care activities are watching football (Go Hawks), softball and baseball (Go M’s). Also napping.
In high school and college I really struggled with my own mental health, so it’s become an important part of my adult life. I was lucky as a teen that I had an adult in my life who noticed I was struggling and guided me to get the help I needed. I love that BYS can serve a similar role for youth today, and I hope I can be of judgment-free support to anyone needing it.
Susanne Schneider
Communications & Marketing Manager
Susanne Schneider, Communications & Marketing Manager
Advice for my teenage self: Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, get comfortable with the unexpected, and don’t be too rigid in your life plan. It is the journey of life that is important, not the destination. Try to enjoy the journey and grow from the twists and turns.
Favorite quote: You still have time to become what you want to be.
What makes me happy to be alive: My family makes me happy and, specifically, visits with my three grown children make me very happy. I love warmth and sunshine and always feel lighter and more relaxed when I’m warm and the sun is shining. I love connecting with friends, I get a lot of energy from that. I also love some solitude to re-center myself. I recently took up golf and I love it!
Susanne turned the BYS Peer Tutoring Program into a powerhouse of knowledge before transitioning into the role of Communications Manager. She has worked with BYS since 2016 and grew the Peer Tutoring program into what it is now. She enjoys gardening, spending time with friends, family, and more recently, golfing.
It’s important to me to contribute to something I value and I value the mission of BYS. I think it is the job of communities to raise the next generation, to help young people figure out who they are, what they value, and to believe in themselves. An added bonus is that working at BYS allows me to feel more connected to my community.
Shannon Amelang
Family Services Program Manager
Shannon Amelang, Family Services Program Manager
Advice for my teenage self: You don’t need to compromise who you are for anyone. You are terrific!
Favorite Quote: If you saw the size of the blessing coming, you would understand the magnitude of the battle you are fighting.
What makes me happy to be alive? I am happy to be alive and experiencing life with my husband, kids, and my extended family and community members. I love serving and being a bright spot for those around me!
Shannon is the Raising Resilience Program Manager and runs the BYS Service Club along side Brittany Wisner. She has four children of her own and loves working with teens. She enjoys quiet meditation, reading scripture, exercise, and working in her garden.
I love listening to teens, being excited about their potential, and working with them to accomplish the goals they have for themselves I love that BYS is a place that simply aims to support teens!
Cait James
Development Manager
Cait James, Development Manager
Advice for your teenage self: Say what you want to say and do what you want to do – no one is actually judging you!
Favorite quote: Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length – Robert Frost
What makes me happy to be alive: My kids, my pets, my family and friends – and large bodies of water.
After completing a master’s degree focused on the prevention of childhood obesity, Cait spent many years working with youth in health education, nutrition and physical activity. She is excited now to be working with an organization that focuses on the emotional needs of kids. She loves spending time with her 3 children and watching them grow into their own selves, as well as spending time with friends, running, hiking and reading.
BYS is an unparalleled resource for kids at a vulnerable time in their lives – I love that I can work with an organization that can impart such a positive impact, and that I can work together with our community to strengthen it.
Laura Firman
Peer Tutoring Coordinator
Laura Firman, Peer Tutoring Coordinator
Advice for your teenage self: Nurture your creativity. Making art will give you the gift of self expression and joy throughout your life.
Favorite quote: And now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art. – Neil Gaiman
What makes me happy to be alive: Spending time with my family and friends, cuddling my dogs, drawing and painting, travel, trying new cuisine, going to art museums, jazz concerts and baseball games.
Seventeen years ago Laura and her family traveled across the country to relocate to Bainbridge Island. Here they found a vibrant community with great schools in a beautiful setting. Laura has worked at the Bainbridge Island School District for many years as a paraeducator helping students from preschool to high school age.
I feel incredibly lucky to work with the dedicated staff at BYS. They have created a welcoming, safe place that offers counseling, volunteering opportunities and community service projects for the island’s youth. The Peer Tutoring program at BYS not only helps those with academic challenges, but it also gives the tutors a chance to build their work experience and leadership skills.
Milagro Castilleja
Social Media Coordinator
Milagro Castilleja, Social Media Coordinator
Advice for your teenage self: It’s okay to not know who you are or what you’re doing right now. It’ll be hard, but you’ll find out eventually, and you’ll feel so much better about yourself.
Favorite quote: The only thing I do know is that we have to be kind. Please. Be kind, especially when we don’t know what’s going on. – Everything, Everywhere, All At Once
What makes me happy to be alive: My friends are a big reason why I’m happy to be alive. Being able to grow with them and lean on each other is something I wouldn’t trade for the world.
Born and raised in Washington, Milagro spent years fascinated with telling stories featuring diverse voices. After completing their undergraduate degree at Central Washington University, they relocated to the Poulsbo/Suquamish area to be closer to family. Over the course of 2021, they started and completed their Master of Communication in Digital Media with a focus on storytelling for existing and emergent platforms.
What drew me to BYS was their dedication to providing a safe and healthy space for students. As someone who is on their own mental health journey, I was very happy to be able to help out an organization devoted to helping students with their mental health in these turbulent times.
Sarah Allbee, LMHC
Therapist
Sarah Allbee, LMHC, Clinical Supervisor
Advice for my teenage self: Life gets better.
Favorite Quote: Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love. ~ Brene Brown
What makes me happy to be alive: The people in my life and the future I am currently creating.
Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor with more than five years of experience working in the mental health field. She also has a master’s degree in clinical/counseling psychology from California State University, San Bernardino. She has experience in school-based substance abuse and private practice settings. Sarah enjoys reading, exercising/line dancing, playing video games, solving puzzles and spending quality time with loved ones.
I think counseling is especially important for youth, as this is the time when many mental health issues, including anxiety and depression, tend to surface. It is a privilege to work here and witness the positive transformations among the youth who we serve.
Helen Burke, LMHCA
Therapist
Helen Burke, LMHCA, Counselor
Advice for my teenage self: There is nothing wrong with you – trust in your goodness and worthiness of love and acceptance.
Favorite quote: Remember the earth whose skin you are: red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth, brown earth, we are earth. Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them, listen to them. They are alive poems. ~ Jay Harjo
What makes me happy to be alive: Ordinary moments with my family and friends, and moments alone in nature.
Helen joined BYS in April 2020 as a counseling intern. She has completed her master’s in clinical mental health counseling from Antioch University in Seattle. She is interested in mindfulness and body-based therapies for working with grief, loss, and trauma. This is a career change for Helen, who worked as a lawyer before raising her two teenage daughters. Helen enjoys quiet mornings spent reading with a strong cup of coffee (with cream), biking, family board games, watching bad reality TV, searching for the perfect GIF, and hearing people’s stories.
I love working with teens and parents around the myriad challenges of being human – I am constantly inspired and amazed by my clients and their ability to discover and grow and heal. I am so grateful to be learning at 50 how much it is possible to enjoy and find meaning in my work!
John Carleton, LMHCA
Therapist
John Carleton, LMHCA, Counselor
Advice for my teenage self: You’re not alone and you don’t have to do it all by yourself. It’s okay to talk to someone about how difficult things are. Talking about what’s going on will help you know what you’re feeling and let you know that you’re not alone in feeling that way. Also, you don’t have to have the right answer all the time; you don’t have to be perfect. It’s quite impossible! Making mistakes is not only okay, it’s how you learn and grow!
Favorite quote: “Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a covenant between equals.” ~ Fr. Gregory Boyle
What makes me happy to be alive: Sunrises, sunsets, starry skies, cold mountain rivers and lakes, laughter, jumping on a trampoline, and riding my bike.
John joined BYS in August 2020 as a counseling intern. John practices a variety of self-care habits to help him with his counseling skills. To care for himself he has to be intentional in making space and taking time to connect with himself and feel his feelings. Journaling, focused breathing, meditation and prayer help him to be embodied. Spending time in nature and with family and friends are also important for mental health.
“I chose BYS because I want to support my community, and I wish I’d had someone to talk to when I was a teenager. Many boys in America are socialized to disconnect from their emotions and to think that they shouldn’t need other people. I’d like to disrupt that narrative and help teens, especially boys, understand that our brains are wired for social connection and emotional engagement.”
Chase Myers, LMHCA
Therapist
Chase Myers, Counselor
Advice for my teenage self: Be kind to yourself, take your time, and learn to embrace the moments that matter.
Favorite quote: “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” – Soren Kierkegaard
What makes me happy to be alive: Spending quality time with family and friends, getting lost in a good story, opportunities to connect with others, learning something new.
Chase joined the BYS in January of 2022 as a counseling intern. He recently moved to Bainbridge from Seattle, and is currently in a graduate program for clinical mental health counseling at Antioch University. Chase grew up in Kenai, Alaska and has received a B.A. in History from the University of Alaska Anchorage. He loves how much Bainbridge reminds him of his tight-knit community roots.
I am excited to do my part in supporting teenagers as they traverse such a unique time in their lives.
Emily Henning
Therapist
Emily Henning, Counselor
Advice for my teenage self: Don’t fight your feelings. Your experiences are valid.
Favorite quote: “Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
What makes me happy to be alive: Ice cream and Netflix with my partner, chatting with my kiddos, afternoon naps, and writing.
I am thrilled to be joining the team at BYS as part of my practicum for my Master’s program at Boise State University.
I love working with teens and young adults and believe that counseling can be a sacred time to hold space, process emotions, and tend to one’s inner self.
Megan Bradley
Therapist
Megan Bradley, Therapist
Advice for my teenage self: You are enough just as you are.
Favorite quote: “Knowing oneself comes from attending with compassionate curiosity to what is happening within.” – Gabor Maté
What makes me happy to be alive: Adventuring–seeing new places and meeting new people. Being outside and moving my body. Cooking a delicious meal, starting and finishing a really good fantasy book, and spending time with family, friends and my partner.
I am very excited to be joining the BYS team as part of my internship through Antioch University Seattle’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) program. I look forward to helping provide a space where teens and young adults feel like they can show-up as their most authentic selves!