Janelle Fenzel – Staff Spotlight

Janelle Fenzel is fairly new to Somerset House, our Community Residence in Appleton for women. She has been at the program since July and she serves as its case manager. This position is her first in human services and she’s very excited about it. “I’m learning a lot,” she noted. Janelle has an associate’s degree in surgical technology from Niagara County Community College and she obtained her bachelor’s in psychology from Daemen College last year.

She has been a huge help at Somerset House by taking on new responsibilities and learning new skills. “I’ve done some discharges and I just completed my first admission,” she said. She also helps residents with their medication and coordinates transportation for their appointments.

While she has only been with the agency a few short months, she has already witnessed positive changes in both her program and the people she serves. Somerset House recently converted to an all-female program. Last weekend, residents watched movies together and helped each other with the program’s chores. “It was really nice to see everyone coming together to help,” Janelle said.

One of the program’s residents has a dual diagnosis: a substance use disorder along with an eating disorder. At the moment, she needs a more intensive treatment option. Janelle and the resident worked together to find a suitable program that places a primary emphasis on her eating disorder. They searched online and the resident called to see if the program had any openings. She is now on the new program’s waiting list. In the meantime, Janelle also found a support group for eating disorders that the resident can attend every Sunday while she waits for admission.

Janelle has been impressed with the tenacity of our residents. She admitted that before working for Cazenovia Recovery, she had a stereotypical view of addiction. Thankfully, in her short time working with the people we serve, she has already learned that people in recovery want to get better. “Now I realize that they’re really good people who just happen to have a problem,” she said. “I see how hard it is for them to live with.” Every day, she sees our residents work to meet their treatment goals and this makes her optimistic. “I just hope that when they leave here, they can be successful in their recovery and continue to get better.”