Barbara Bowman – Staff Spotlight

Barbara Bowman is the counselor at Liberty Hall, where she supports Veterans in recovery from substance use. She has been with Cazenovia Recovery for four years, has a bachelor’s in social work from Buffalo State, and is a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC). She brings a wide breadth of experience in the recovery field to her current position. Throughout her career, she has served as an opiate specialist, an intensive outpatient group leader, a residential counselor, and more.

Barbara likes the variety of activities the agency has to offer and the engagement between all of our sites. “There’s more interaction between our programs now. It allows us to share ideas, and that’s always good,” said Barbara. She is also very appreciative of her team members at Liberty Hall. “I’m very lucky,” she said. “These guys are awesome. We just mesh.” She’s also an active member of our Wellness Committee and does a great job at promoting engagement at Liberty Hall. During Lose to Win, a team challenge that promoted weight loss in the fall, Barbara shared a picture of herself walking her cat, Tori.

All of this helps to motivate Barbara to go above and beyond in her efforts to ensure our residents receive the best treatment. She is always willing to take on extra responsibilities. Most recently, she made a change in her schedule that would allow for double coverage in the evenings so that Liberty Hall residents can be transported to offsite self-help meetings. Our residents also inspire her. “They’re such wonderful people,” she said. “They have so much to offer. All they have to do is get over this challenge.”

At the moment, Barbara is running for a seat on the Batavia Board of Education. She hopes to use her long-time work in substance use counseling to meet the needs of young adults in the city of Batavia who are experiencing addiction. In the meantime, Barbara continues to serve her community by supporting our Veterans at Liberty Hall. “They are so resilient,” she said. “They just make my day.”