OAKS FAMILY CARE CENTER

Brenda Baer
 

Interim Executive Director

Brenda has a B.A in Office Administration and a minor in Business Administration from Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Prior to joining Oaks staff, she was in banking for 17 years. She served as a
teller, ATM Coordinator, Online Banking Representative, Wire Department Representative, as well as many other roles in the electronic banking field.

Brenda has served on staff as Ministry Coordinator, a volunteer and current Board member and now as Interim Executive Director. No matter what role she is serving in, she is thankful to be a part of the
Oaks family. One of the things she likes best about Oaks is that “we are helping make positive differences within the families and the communities that we serve through God as our foundation.”

In addition, she is a certified Hope Coach and Mental Health Coach.
Brenda serves in a variety of ministries within the church she attends. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, going on adventures and spending time with their friends and extended family.

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Stan Barlow

Community Liaison; Maintenance; IT Support

Stan wears many hats as the co-founder of Oaks with his wife Betty. When he is not engaged in making or strengthening community connections, he can be found making repairs on the building, installing office equipment, or updating computer systems. In addition, Stan formerly served as the Visitation Director and assists with several fundraising events throughout the year.

Jimi Rizner
LPC

Counselor & Visitation Director

Jimi is a counselor and directs our Supervised Visitation program, our program allows children to meet with their non-custodial parent in a safe and supportive environment. He completed his Master's Degree in Christian Counseling from Grand Canyon University. His undergraduate education was a BA in Christian Studies. He was baptized in the name of Christ at Willowcreek Community Church of Barrington, IL in 2009. He has 33 years experience working with those recovering from substance abuse disorders and his approach is faith-inspired therapy. His walk in life has also given him important tools that he uses to help clients make positive changes.

The family structure and sanctity of life are important to Jimi and he has been blessed to be both a father and grandfather. He leads a purpose driven life and believes that Christ has directed him to provide hope to the hopeless. In addition to counseling individuals and families, Jimi also facilitates therapeutic family visits with Oaks’ supervised visitation program.

Our professional counselors are licensed through the state of Ohio. https://elicense.ohio.gov/ 

Betty Barlow
LPCC-S

Clinical Director

Betty is a Licensed Counselor with Supervisory Status. She has experience as a Medina County social worker, a Residential Therapeutic Counselor, and has served as Director of Abuse Recovery at Akron Pregnancy Center. Her greatest growth has come from being a parent to her 3 children, as well as serving as a foster and adoptive parent. Betty has used her home, her counseling experience, and her God-given gifts to minister to hurting women, meeting their physical, spiritual and emotional needs.

Betty and her husband, Stan, along with friends and family, founded Oaks Family Care Center in 1997. Since then, the center has served thousands of clients in Brunswick and its neighboring communities by providing counseling, educational classes, and material goods assistance. 

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Our professional counselors are licensed through the state of Ohio. https://elicense.ohio.gov/.

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Lisa Barry

Ministry & Volunteer Coordinator

Lisa earned her degree in Elementary Education from Westminster College in Pennsylvania and taught in private and public schools for over 25 years. With a passion for education and a dedication to the success of children, she works one-on-one with children providing individualized assistance after school. Lisa and her husband have called Brunswick their home for the last 20 years and are humbly thankful to God for blessing them with two amazing children.

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As the Ministry and Volunteer Coordinator at Oaks, Lisa is guided by the words in 1 John 3:18, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” In doing so, she identifies volunteer opportunities and engages with individuals and families within our community so that they may serve others.

Jessica Wolfal
LPC

Telehealth Counselor

Jessica is our Telehealth therapist. She and her husband have two beautiful young girls. She has been working in the mental health field on & off since 2008, primarily in residential treatment and case management. She took a break so that she could be a stay-at-home mom to their daughters. In the meantime, she pursued her master’s degree in professional counseling. After graduating in April 2020, she joined our staff officially and is very excited to have found a wonderful foundation and support team within Oaks Family Care Center. Jessica is trained by Star Behavioral Health Providers to be specialized in providing care to military veterans and their families. She is also trained trauma-informed care, compassion care, and cognitive behavioral therapy. In addition to the therapy she provides, Jessica greatly enjoys leading our girls’ group, teen initiatives, developing programming, and assisting with fundraising effort. 

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Our professional counselors are licensed through the state of Ohio. https://elicense.ohio.gov/ 

Sarah Hershey
LISW

Counselor & Family Services Coordinator

Sarah is a Licensed Independent Social Worker and has previously worked as a school-based mental health counselor in both Cuyahoga and Medina Counties. She has worked with children of all ages, parents, and teachers in the home, school, and community settings. Further, she has a passion for walking with others who are seeking hope and healing.

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In addition to working as a counselor, Sarah also develops and coordinates family-oriented programs. As our Family Services Coordinator, she works to provide meaningful resources for our community. 

Sarah has been married to a kind and supportive husband since 2007, and they have a compassionate and funny son along with two adorable cats. 

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Our counselors are licensed through the state of Ohio. https://elicense.ohio.gov/

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Rebecca Nardi

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Office Manager

Rebecca was raised in a family of missionary church planters and has always had a heart for ministry, especially that involving children and families.  She attended Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, IA, and studied Elementary Education.  After college, she returned to Ohio, Rebecca followed the Lord's calling to move into the office setting, and she became an Executive Assistant in the Education Department at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI).  Rebecca began a 15-year career at a local supplemental insurance company here in Brunswick, Oh, where she wore many hats and gained experience in office administration, event planning, graphic design and production, travel planning and book keeping, among many other duties. 

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The past several years Rebecca has a passion for her family and the Brunswick community. Rebecca, her husband and their 2 wonderful daughters live in Brunswick Hills and regularly attend a church in the local community. Rebecca's love for the Brunswick community and their families is strong and is looking forward to using her 20 + years of experience to enhance and spread Oaks Family Care Center ministry.

Jacqueline Hackley

Bookkeeper

Jackie manages all of the financial operations of Oaks. Prior to joining Oaks, Jackie worked in a variety of bookkeeping/non-profit positions. In addition to her work at Oaks, she is also a certified yoga instructor, and maintains volunteer work in various capacities.

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Jason Moore
LPC

Counselor

Stan Barlow

Deb Wilson

Betty Barlow

Carolyn Zaverl

Tim Smith

Brenda Baer

Tim Fritzsching

Jacob Davidson