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April 7, 2025

Meet Candace Carlton

“It is immensely important to me to be part of a healing community where we are invested in each other’s growth. Residents and staff all work together. There’s nowhere else like Hopewell.” – Candace Carlton

Meet Candance Carlton, LISW-SP, RSP, clinician and Quality Improvement and Compliance Director – a true veteran who has been on staff since 2000. If you wanted to store all the hats she wears, you wouldn’t need a shelf – more like a closet! As a member of the Leadership Team, her many roles and far-reaching involvement exemplify her passion for the community and for personal growth.

Throughout her life you can see the influence of her grandmother, Pearl, who has encouraged her to pursue education and opportunities. “My grandmother taught school in Alaska, but she did not pursue her degree until she was 45. She always urged me to follow my dreams and continue to learn, even when others said I was ‘too old’ or ‘too busy’ to make time for education,” Candace said. She completed a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Kent State University at age 28 while working a full-time job and raising a daughter as a single mother.

When asked what drew her to working with people with mental illness, she said, “I had a loved one who was suffering, and I went to a support group fun by NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill). This experience deepened my understanding of mental illness, and I wanted to know more. It opened my eyes to mental health.”

“After I got my degree, I wanted to work here so I called the hiring manager every week for two months,” Candace laughs. When she began her tenure at Hopewell, the staff we currently call program facilitators were case managers. Her part-time evening position encompassed working directly with residents, taking people shopping and on outings. “We did not have as robust a clinical staff as we do now,” she remembered. “As I transitioned to full time, I was certified to pass medications and take blood pressure. I concentrated on supporting residents with their personal care goals, we went for walks in the woods, went fishing, played volleyball, and participated in work crews.”

With the encouragement of the Leadership Team, Candace went back to school to acquire her master’s in social work from Youngstown State University. Grandmother Pearl was there in spirit with words of support and encouragement.

Let’s Start Counting Hats

A major portion of Candace’s work at Hopewell is administration. Many years ago, she helped get Hopewell ready for accreditation from CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities), which stepped up our professionalism as an institution. She also eventually became the compliance director, which led to working on administrative pieces with CARF and ODMHAS (Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services) as well as overseeing research and outcomes. She has worked on implementing ODMHAS (Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services) and ODODD (Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities) standards for our certification. Three times a year as a CARF surveyor, she travels to other residential treatment facilities to consult on meeting certification standards and improving services. On top of all of this, she prepares outcome studies and performance improvement projects and functions as the client rights officer.

Wearing her “clinician” hat, Candace carries a small caseload, develops treatment plans, provides individual therapy, and facilitates weekly Resident Council meetings. Over the years, Candace has been certified as a practitioner of several therapeutic modalities, including Sandplay therapy, which helps residents process inner emotions in a nonverbal way and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), an individual therapy which helps people process trauma, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Two of her favorite resident activity groups are Spirituality, in which residents explore universal spiritual themes and become comfortable sharing their religion, and Mindfulness and Meditation. When wearing her “employee” hat, Candace leads the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility group.

“A great day at Hopewell means residents helping one another and having a sense of belonging to the community,” Candace remarked. “Two recent special memories are when the residents, staff, and families gathered together for the eclipse and when our Musical Journey group held a concert. Everyone is so talented.”

Candace loves to go to concerts (blues rock and Joe Bonamassa are her current favorite), reads a great deal, crochets, sews, and loves being in nature. She enjoys painting, drawing and sketching, especially trees. She is a Lucille Ball fan and she has DVDs of all of the “I Love Lucy” episodes. Candace enjoys travel and has been to 35 states. She would love to see the states she has not visited yet and has considered Ireland, Wales, and England for future trips.

Thank you, Candace, for everything you do for Hopewell!