Meet the Staff
Scheduling
When you call the Acadia Family Center you will speak to a friendly, understanding, Intake Coordinator who will ask you brief questions and answer any that you may have. After making sure that your circumstances are appropriate for our services, the Intake Coordinator will forward your information to a counselor. The counselor will call you back and together you will schedule your first 1.5 hour appointment. After your initial appointment, appointments are usually once per week for one hour (in some cases, longer or more frequent appointments may be appropriate). Our hours are Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm. We make every effort possible to schedule appointments at a time most convenient for you. Our various Group Counseling sessions are usually late afternoon or early evenings.
Insurance
We accept most major insurance carriers (MaineCare, VA, Blue Cross Shield, Aetna, Triveris). We also accept uninsured clients and offer a sliding fee scale to those who qualify. Please let the Intake Coordinator know what type of insurance you have at you initial call, as most insurance companies require pre-authorization for our services.
Our Counselors
 Ed Oechslie, M.A., ATR-BC, LCPC: Ed Oechslie, a board certified art therapist and licensed clinical counselor, joined the staff as Executive Director in January 2006. He holds a degree in art therapy from Southwestern College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and has extensive experience in the trauma-sensitive treatment of substance abuse and codependency.
Before returning home to Maine, he worked as a primary therapist at a nationally known treatment center for emotional trauma, and most recently developed an art therapy component for all levels of treatment at a comprehensive substance abuse rehabilitation center in southern Maine. He has presented on the use of art therapy to treat trauma and addictions at local and national conferences.
In his approach with clients he often uses expressive therapies, and has a gentle, client-centered focus. He describes his role in the therapeutic relationship as “a witness for each client's journey to empowerment through self-discovery.”
 Mary Veit, Ph.D., LCSW, has over 30 years of counseling experience including mental health and substance abuse. Mary uses a holistic, strengths-based and solution-focused approach in working with clients to help them develop healthy goals and to learn and use effective strategies to make needed changes in their lives.
 Dee Clark, LADC, received her degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University in Los Angeles and has seventeen years experience treating chemical dependency and codependency. She helps clients succeed by using their own motivation to change. Dee has also done significant work with the treatment of family members and loved ones of individuals suffering from a substance disorder. Dee feels excited and privileged to participate in her clients’ and their family’s process of recovery.
 Michele Marks, joined the staff as Office Manger and Intake Coordinator in October 2002. She graduated from Coastal Carolina University with a BS in Health Science & Policy Administration. Before she moved to Maine several years ago she was Assistant to the Director of Administration at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Assistant Director at the Kennedy Krieger Institute Center for Educational Services in Baltimore, Maryland.
In her role as Intake Coordinator, Michele is often the first contact person that a client has with the agency. Her top priority is that each client feels welcome and is treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve. She feels humbled and honored to be witness to a client’s personal journey through recovery. “I have met some of the most extraordinary people at the agency. The courage and strength that our clients have is amazing”
 Laura Shelby joined the staff in April of 2007 as Administrative Assistant. She moved to Maine in 1993 to raise family here on MDI. She has worked at the MDI Hospital business office and also at the Women’s Health Center in Bar Harbor. She is currently taking classes working toward her certification in alcohol and drug abuse counseling (CADC). Laura takes care of the insurance billing and other front office duties but, “I love greeting our clients and making them feel welcome at Acadia Family Center. They are all extraordinary people. It’s really what we are all about . . . our clients!"
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