Shionta Gray has been serving clients at The Center for Counseling & Consultation for almost 14 years in a variety of positions. Recently, she added a new title to her list when she was named chief operating officer (COO).
While Gray is eager to devote all her time to the new job, she is pulling double duty until a replacement is hired for her previous position of Community Support Services (CSS) director.
“I am ready for the new challenges but I want to do all I can to help my replacement with a smooth transition,” Gray said. “We want it to be as seamless as possible because CSS offers many important programs.”
These programs include psychiatric support and treatment; attendant care; psycho-social rehabilitation; targeted case management; and certified peer support.
Gray’s responsibilities in her new position include: sharing oversight of finances in areas such as grant activities and outcomes; mitigating challenges and maximizing outcomes; responding to changes at the state and national levels; using data to identify trends; and participating in agency training.
“I hope I can make an even bigger impact on clients’ lives while fulfilling these new responsibilities,” Gray said. “Wendy Lockwood and I are collaborating to ensure that clients receive all the services they need.”
Lockwood, the previous COO, was promoted to executive director following Julie Kramp’s retirement late last year.
Gray commented that she is “grateful for this new opportunity because I enjoy the work, while making a real difference in people’s lives. I appreciate our staff members because we support one another, which makes for a great work environment.
“We all team up to promote mental health by cultivating hope and healing. The Center offers what our clients deserve - quality care and education with integrity and compassion.”
Accomplishments
Gray was gratified to play a role in The Center being licensed last spring as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC).
“Being part of the team that accomplished early certification was truly gratifying for all of us,” she said. “Becoming a CCBHC allows us to offer so many more services to clients.”
This multi-disciplinary program provides a variety of therapies and offers support for housing and employment, medication-assisted treatment and specialized services for military veterans.
Gray also played an instrumental role in enhancing Individual Placement Services, the Jail Program and Assertive Community Treatment.
“All of these programs, plus many others, allow a holistic approach to supporting those who struggle with behavioral-health issues. We care for the whole person.”
Gray is a 2002 graduate of Great Bend High School and earned an associate’s degree in accounting in 2009 at Barton Community College. She received her bachelor’s in business administration in 2011 at Fort Hays State University, with a certificate in human resource management. She has completed coursework toward a master’s in business administration at FHSU.
Her background at The Center includes positions of Community-Based Services support aide for youth; CSS case manager; health home care coordinator; and CSS targeted case manager.
Previous employment includes teacher assistant at Great Bend’s USD 428 Alternative Learning Center from 2005-12 and chemical dependency technician at the Women’s Recovery Center in Hoisington from 2007-09.
Wendy Lockwood noted “Shionta knows first-hand how important The Center’s services are to our clients and the whole community. This knowledge, along with her impressive background, combine to make her the perfect fit for chief operating officer.
“Shionta demonstrates compassion and professionalism in all that she does to provide care and treatment to those who need resources and support. The Center’s clients and staff are so very fortunate that she continues to assist those who seek behavioral-health services in our communities.”
The Center for Counseling & Consultation, a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, 5815 Broadway in Great Bend, serves Barton, Pawnee, Rice and Stafford counties. Professionally trained personnel offer: individual and group therapy; marriage and family counseling; community-support services; community-based services; psychosocial rehabilitation; peer support; and medication management. The confidential 24/7 crisis hotline number is 800-875-2544.
