Renae Banach, Clinical Aide

Joining the Team at Turning Point House

Renae Banach is a Clinical Aide at Turning Point House. She’s a CASAC-T, has a certificate in Addiction Counseling and associates degrees in Occupational Therapy Assistance and Criminal Justice from Jamestown Community College. Renae joined Turning Point House in August of last year, just before the program converted to Rehabilitation.

Like many of our staff members, Renae has tragic family experience with substance use. Sadly, her brother died while driving intoxicated. Because of this and other factors, she always wanted to get involved in our field, but she said that “the timing wasn’t right.” Fortunately, she was eventually able to follow her passion.

Michelle Harvey, Turning Point House’s Case Manager, is Renae’s friend and fellow classmate, and she encouraged Renae to apply to the Clinical Aide position last year. Renae loves “having supervisors that empower you” at Turning Point House. “I don’t think you get that everywhere, and I think I’m pretty lucky to be here,” she added.

Renae’s Role as a Clinical Aide

As a Clinical Aide, her responsibilities include assisting Counselors and other clinical staff with admissions and groups. Renae runs groups on topics like spiritual growth, reading in recovery, emotional regulation, values, and families. In her reading in recovery group, residents read memoirs and books that focus on topics related to substance use. “We talk about it and people can relate to it,” Renae said. This group also introduces residents to success stories of people in recovery.

Meanwhile, in her family group, Renae works with residents to understand how to establish positive relationships with their family members. “A lot of them don’t come from strong family situations,” she said. Renae is consistently surprised at the stories she hears about the childhoods our residents experienced. “I can’t even imagine what they went through,” Renae said. This is exactly why we emphasize Trauma-Informed Care throughout our agency.

While developing healthy family connections is important for healing the past, it can help to heal the future, too. Significantly, plenty of residents at Turning Point House have their own children. “A lot of them have the desire to be a good parent and not to mimic what they saw growing up,” Renae explained. “These groups give them a pathway to go down the right path.”