For nearly two decades, Amy Gokey has dedicated her career to strengthening mental health and substance use services in the communities 海角社区 serves. Today, as director of the Friary Pensacola, Amy oversees a comprehensive set of counseling programs designed to support adults at some of life鈥檚 most critical moments.
鈥The Friary Pensacola is an umbrella of three different counseling programs,鈥 Amy explains. 鈥淲e serve all adults, and each program is designed to meet people where they are.鈥 Those services include adult outpatient counseling, which provides individual and group therapy; an intensive outpatient program serving adults with substance use disorders; and the Home Base program that Amy helped build from the ground up.
Home Base has become a vital resource in the community. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just really taken off and grown a lot,鈥 says Jeff Fletcher, Amy鈥檚 supervisor. 鈥淲e really have a big veteran population (in Northwest Florida), and the work that Amy鈥檚 done to mold her team into one that can support veterans, people with PTSD and others in need has a very large impact on our community.鈥
Amy鈥檚 path to leadership began 18 years ago when she joined 海角社区 as a behavior technician. She then returned to school to earn her master鈥檚 degree and transitioned into a therapist position in adult outpatient counseling鈥攖he same program she now leads. 鈥淪ixteen years later, I鈥檓 now the director of it,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a cool full-circle moment.鈥
As director, no two days look the same. Amy jokes that her role often feels like 鈥渓ooking for leaks in a ship and trying to plug them,鈥 but behind the humor is a deep commitment to problem-solving and growth. 鈥淚n reality, that looks like trying to figure out problems and create solutions in real time.鈥
What Amy enjoys most, however, isn鈥檛 the logistics鈥攊t鈥檚 the people. She works closely with master鈥檚-level and licensed clinicians and takes pride in building a team that is both skilled and passionate. 鈥淚 really love taking people that are eager to learn and creating a team that just really loves the work and loves to be there.鈥
Amy鈥檚 long tenure at 海角社区 reflects her belief in the organization鈥檚 mission and people. 鈥淚鈥檝e chosen to stay because of the people and the people we serve,鈥 she explains. Over the years, Lakeview has allowed her to expand her expertise across diverse settings, from trauma care to detox and residential services.
Above all, Amy remains driven by impact鈥攚hether it鈥檚 mentoring clinicians or hearing from former clients years later. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the ones that did the work,鈥 she says, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 meaningful when I hear they鈥檙e still doing well.鈥
Jeff emphasizes that her leadership rises above the rest: 鈥淔or us to choose someone that鈥檚 a senior leader as Team Member of the Year, they really have to stand out and be above and beyond鈥攁nd Amy has exemplified that. She leads major initiatives, improves outcomes month after month and sets the standard for quality care.鈥
To work with compassionate team members like Amy, visit our Careers site.
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