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.

Willy Sauer was raised in Hickory, North Carolina and attended Wake Forest University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2016. In 2018, he graduated with a Master of Arts in Counseling at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. During his Master’s program, he completed a concentration in addiction counseling. In Charlotte, he interned with the Mecklenburg County Jail and an intensive outpatient program for adult men with substance use diagnoses.

After graduation Willy and his partner moved to Portland, Oregon where she attended law school. During this time, Willy worked with adults in Washington County with co-occurring mental health and substance use diagnoses in an outpatient setting. Willy also worked with adults experiencing PTSD, depression, bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders, and psychotic disorders as an LPC Intern while in Washington County.

Willy and his wife are so excited to be in Coos Bay! Their dog, Moshi, is a beach fanatic and appreciates all the space to run around, get dirty, and chase tennis balls. In his free time, Willy loves to go camping, backpacking, run, read, and watch sports (Go Blazers!). He is excited for the opportunity to serve the people of Coos County.

Sandy Wilson is excited for this new opportunity to support Coastal Center as the new ADSS Coordinator and Evaluator supporting Coos, Curry, and Douglas County court systems. She was raised in Van Nuys, California and worked in out-patient psychiatry as a Medical Secretary and other medical fields after graduating from High School. She is a “ValleyGirl” at heart. She also worked for the Department of Defense, U.S. Navy as a Civilian employee for eight years. She decided to go back to college to obtain her Associate of Arts and Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology a little later in life. She attended Ventura Community College in California and California State University at Channel Islands in Camarillo, CA and graduated with her Bachelor of Arts Degree in December of 2010. Sandy has friends who live in Coquille, OR and decided to come out to Oregon to visit and fell in love with the Oregon Coastline and the beautiful green forests. She loves hiking and walking in the Oregon forests and touring all the Waterfalls and beauty of Oregon. Sandy decided to make Coos Bay, OR her new home and bought her first home in November of 2022. Sandy is excited to welcome her new AussieDoodle named Ozzy in December of 2023. Sandy has two younger sisters who reside in South Carolina and California. She also has a beautiful Niece, Katharine who is an attorney in New York, and a Nephew, Steven who lives in Pocatello, Idaho and is attending Pocatello University, and wants to be a Firefighter. Sandy loves to support her friends and co-workers with positive and motivating encouragement as often as possible!. Quote by: Paulo Coelho – “There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do nothing to avoid them. But they are there for a reason. Only when we have overcome them will we understand why they were there”.