Staff called SDC Advisors help participants create person-centered recovery plans and corresponding budgets. They also assist participants with arranging services and making purchases of approved goods to achieve recovery goals. Several SDC Advisors are available for participants to choose from. All program staff believe in the ability of participants to recover and manage their own wellness.

The SDC Advisors are:

Walter Norris, M.A.
214- 205-7435
walter.norris@texassdc.org

I’m pleased to provide this information to help you know me as the program director and an advisor to assist you in achieving your goals. I have worked with individuals with mental illness for about 10 years and with individuals living in poverty for about 20 years. I have a Master of Arts Degree in Church and Community Ministries (sociology) from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and I have done post-graduate work at Texas Woman’s University in Family Studies. I was on the board of NAMI – Dallas for four years. Also, I was a member of the Family Self-Sufficiency Committee for the Plano Housing Authority in Plano, TX for four years. 

As the program director and as an advisor, I hope you will find me to be an advocate, empathic, friendly, honest, and a person committed to helping others overcome adversity in their lives. I have been told that I am compassionate, a person of integrity, outgoing, and committed to helping the people I serve.

I am married with three grown children, six granddaughters, one cat, and have lived in the Dallas area continually since 1986. Actually, I was born and raised in Dallas, but I have lived in other countries at different times in my adult life due to military service.

I strongly believe that everyone can recover from adversity in their lives. I believe in working with the individual, by helping him/her discover personal strengths and what is needed to overcome barriers to recovery. With Self-Directed Care, consumers of mental health services should have a primary role in their recovery planning and greater control over how resources are spent to meet their needs. I aim to help provide that service. By engaging in Self-Directed Care, I believe people in mental health recovery can live productive lives in the community.  

All people have the following rights:

• To be treated with respect and dignity
• To have choices
• To decide what services/treatments/supports are best for them
• To be assured of their privacy and confidentiality

As your program director and an advisor, I am committed to your recovery by helping you plan out that recovery and providing you with the resources and tools to accomplish that task. And as your program director and an advisor, I promise to advocate on your behalf, listen to you, stand by you, and guide you in recovery. 

 

Luis Moreno, B.S.W
214-244-5332
luis.moreno@texassdc.org

Hi, I am Luis Moreno. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington. Also, I am a Registered Medical Assistant and hold a Certification in Mediation and Dispute Resolution in the state of Texas. I am currently obtaining my License in Social Work as well as pursuing my Masters Degree in Social Work. I was born in El Paso, TX, but have called Dallas my home for the last 13 years.

I love giving back what has been given to me. I currently volunteer for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) teaching the class, “Visions for Tomorrow.” I also enjoy teaching English as a Second Language for LIFT (Literacy Instruction for Texans). I enjoy visiting with my nieces and nephews. I am proud to say that my oldest niece, Bianca, will be going off to college this summer.

To me, recovery is on going. It means being better today than yesterday. On those days that things are not so well, it means knowing that it has been and will be better. Recovery is a very personal process that involves learning to live with an illness or challenges. It is finding your unique self. It is living a life that YOU find meaningful and purposeful. Recovery is best when someone is there to provide support and acknowledgement. As your Self-Directed Care Advisor, I will learn with you what recovery is for you and what choices you will make towards that process. I will stand by you and be your advocate.

 

Jamie A. Cook, B.A.
214-676-7738
jamie.cook@texassdc.org

My name is Jamie Cook. I have a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington, and am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling from Amberton University. I am single, with one cat, Molly. I was born in Dallas, but grew up in Brownwood, Texas. I have been living in the Dallas area for the last 8 years.

My experience in the mental health field is personal. I am a mental health consumer, as are other members of my family. As both a consumer and an SDC advisor, I am determined to help reduce the stigma on people with mental illness. I believe one of the ways the stigma can be reduced is when outsiders see that people with mental illness are capable of making their own choices about their mental health care and life goals. I also feel strongly that being able to make these choices will empower those with mental illness and will help speed the recovery process.

Recovery is many things to me. It is a journey of ups and downs as you find your way to what works for you each day. Recovery is manageability. Recovery is never giving up hope. And most of all, to me, recovery is learning to love yourself not in spite of your mental illness, but including it, knowing that it makes you who you are as a whole. As your SDC advisor, I will strive to help you in your recovery process, and walk beside you in your journey.

 

Cheryl Hunter, B.A.

cheryl.hunter@texassdc.org

Hi, my name is Cheryl Hunter.  I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Howard University, a Masters of Biblical Counseling degree and a Masters of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary.  I previously worked as a substance abuse counselor at a recovery center in Dallas.  In addition to providing me with significant insight into the needs of those recovering from chemical dependency, I also gained keen awareness of the needs of those recovering from mental health issues.

I am very passionate about supporting, educating and advocating on behalf of those with mental health issues.  In the past, I have provided education for lay counselors and phone counselors on recognizing and working with individuals suffering from various mental health conditions.

I believe that a mental health disorder does not define who an individual is.  It is just something to be managed.  I believe that individuals recovering from a mental health disorder have the same gifts, talents and abilities as those without a diagnosis.  Many simply have yet to discover and/or actualize these gifts, talents and abilities. I believe that individuals with mental health conditions have the same dreams, goals, passions, and values as those without out a diagnosis.  Persons with mental health diagnoses are just in need of the proper support, guidance, resources and life management skills to make these dreams, passions, and goals a reality.

As your Self-Directed Care Advisor, I am committed to advocating for you and assisting you in obtaining the necessary resources for your recovery. I am committed to walking with you through this new season of self-discovery and self-empowerment as you become the whole individual that you desire to be.  I am committed to supporting you thorough the challenges of this process and rejoicing with you in every victory that you achieve.  It will truly be my privilege to join you on this journey.