Debbie Kirby was raised outside of the fabulous city of New Orleans and subsequently attended Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers!!!) where she earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Social Work. While at LSU, she interned for the Baton Rouge school system counseling inner city youth, an adolescent group home and the state forensic hospital. Ideally, Debbie wanted to work in a private practice setting serving troubled youth, and was able to find that place in Oregon with Coastal Center in August 2000. Debbie works primarily with youth 18 and under, specializing in trauma, abuse, foster/adoption, attachment and eating disorders. However, many of the adults she works with also struggle with some of these same issues, in addition to day-to-day life stressors. She also enjoys traveling around Oregon to work with and train foster parents on attachment and adoption issues. To keep things lively, she likes to laugh a lot, explore new places with her family, serve the community, dance, and spend time playing with family and friends.

Mandy Griffin was born and raised in Montana. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, from the University of Montana. Afterward, she spent time working as an Attachment Counselor, in a group home setting. She decided to return to school and received her Master’s degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from Montana State University- Billings. She has worked with various populations, in a variety of settings, including: group homes, psychiatric facilities, offender treatment, and school based therapy programs. She has experience in helping clients work through anxiety, depression, anger, attachment issues, PTSD, and behavior difficulties. She fell in love with the Oregon Coast, and is happy to be living so close to the ocean! In her free time, Mandy enjoys listening to records, laughing with friends, playing with her dog (Chauncey), watching NBA games, and of course, going to the beach.

Denise Stuntzner is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, working in human services for 36 years. She grew up in Coos Bay and received her Bachelor of Art Degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1984. She returned to Oregon and worked in child welfare for 4 years before starting graduate school at Portland State University. In 1990, she earned her Masters Degree in Social Work, concentrating in Planning, Administration and Management. Upon graduation, she was granted the Walter & Leah Winkle Award for Social Work Excellence. Until 1996, she worked at PSU on a NIMH grant. While raising her 2 sons, Ms. Stuntzner returned to clinical practice in child & family mental health, rehabilitation, hospice, and child welfare. She earned her license from the State of Oregon in 2006. Prior to starting with Coastal Center, Ms. Stuntzner worked for 3 years as an Integrated Behavioral Health Clinician primarily with patients in Internal Medicine, Family Practice and OB. For the 10 years before working at NBMC, she worked for the Coquille Tribe as their Wellness Program Coordinator and then as a Qualified Mental Health Professional for Bay Area Hospital, mostly on the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit and conducting emergency psychiatric evaluations in the ED. Ms. Stuntzner has served as a Field Instructor for the Graduate School of Social Work at Portland State University and is also a state-certified Clinical Supervisor. Ms. Stuntzner is an accomplished competitive swimmer: a former Big 10 Champion & record holder in the 100 & 200 Butterfly events, NCAA All American, and a 2014 Masters World Champion. She continues to swim, loves to ski and travel. She enjoys time with her sons, pets and extended family.

Candace Wallis was born and raised in the sunny state of Florida. With her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of South Florida, her knowledge and energy benefit Coastal Center in many ways. Candace has experience in working with issues of at-risk children and youth, child welfare, geriatrics, care management, trauma, anxiety, depression, chronic stress, grief, and navigating life transitions. Tired of the Florida heat, Candace and her husband Michael finally decided to trek across the country to the beautiful Oregon coast. They decided to nest out west in search of the great outdoors, the majestic explorations, and to escape the Florida humidity. Candace’s hobbies include self-care/wellness, consciousness and expanded states of self-awareness, time in nature, daily exercise, herb gardening, traveling, and loving her two well-behaved dogs. Candace provides a safe, compassionate, and collaborative space to help individuals explore their past, celebrate their strengths, and create a purposeful future. Candace is hopeful to help others become more conscious by deepening their love and trust in themselves, the process, and reclaiming their true self.

Candise’s career has been multifaceted with her working with a diverse population of individuals. Drawing from her degree in Psychology from Washington University and complimenting it with Criminal Justice and Criminology knowledge, she strongly believes in helping people understand their internal motivations. She feels wrapping services around people that meet their individual needs helps decrease risks and increases opportunities for success. Her strong dedication to finding a positive outlook has helped her be successful on both Coasts, Alaska and many places in between. Candise looks forward to working with Coastal Center to “make our community a more beautiful place.”