PRESS RELEASE
Kathie Hamman receives RecoveryPeople’s 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award
In recognition of her life’s work promoting recovery, RecoveryPeople is excited to announce Kathie Hamman as the recipient of our 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is part of a RecoveryPeople campaign during National Recovery Month (September) that recognizes leaders in the recovery community.
Originally from El Paso, Kathie has lived in Austin since 1974 and has been in long-term recovery since 1976. She and her husband, Steve, have been married for 44 years and have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. She is defined by her own recovery, which has been her pathway to health and spiritual growth. She feels most at ease when she is working with recovering individuals and their families, sharing her story, and being of service to others in her places of work, church, and with family and friends.
Kathie advocates that recovery is not only possible but most likely when individuals establish and maintain their participation in a recovery community such as Alcoholics Anonymous(AA) SMART, Recovery Dharma or other mutual aid societies as well as engage in mindfulness practices, education, and coping skills. As part of her personal recovery, Kathie continues to be deeply involved with 12 Step Fellowships and has founded mutual help groups for persons with substance use issues and affected family members.
Her passion for helping others led her to become a Licensed Professional Counselor, Supervisor and eventually a Clinical Director. Kathie began her professional career as a counselor for Williamson County Council on Alcohol and Drugs, now known as LifeSteps. Here she worked with local school districts to establish prevention and education programs from Kindergarten to 12th grade. She also worked with the local justice system to provide services to individuals in DWI and Drug Offender programs, and she worked with Judge Wright and others through LifeSteps to establish the county’s DWI Court.
After graduating from Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest with Masters in Counseling and Spiritual Studies and becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor, Kathie joined staff at Northwest Counseling and Wellness Center (NCWC) founded by John Harvey-Executive Director and her mentor. She was certified as a Substance Abuse Professional and Clinical Director for NCWC, where she practiced for more than 15 years facilitating all phases of their treatment process. Moverover, she supervised over 60 university students as they interned to become licensed professional counselors. She is remembered by students, co-workers and friends for her unusual or quirky way of describing people, places and ideas, as well as for her warmth and fresh sense of humor.
Kathie retired from NCWC at the end of June 2022, but will continue her life’s passion of helping others through her involvement in the recovery community and in private practice. She also looks forward to traveling, writing and continuing cello lessons.
RecoveryPeople extends special recognition and thanks to The Conservatory in Dallas for sponsoring the award.
To learn more about RecoveryPeople and how to donate to our nonprofit, visit recoverypeople.org