Meet Naomi

How long have you worked at Positive Alternatives?

September 2025

Where are you from?

Rice Lake, Wisconsin, is where my family lives now and where I graduated high school; however, before that, I lived in Kansas and North Dakota. (My extended family on my dad's side lives in Rice Lake, and my mom's side lives in North Dakota.)

What drew you to working in this field?

Through my adolescent years, I volunteered at a camp I had been going to since I was basically born. I was a junior counselor and supervised mostly elementary-age kids. I really enjoyed that experience. When it came to choosing my degree, I looked back at those experiences and the enjoyment of being a role model for youth. I have a year of experience working with youth and providing social, emotional, and developmental skills.

What is your educational background?

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire with a bachelor's degree in social work.

What is your favorite thing about working with youth and families?

My favorite thing about working with youth is seeing the differences from first starting services with a client to months later and seeing the progress the client has been making and their own self-worth improving. My favorite activity to incorporate into meetings is the client's own favorite activity and working through their goals in the moment as they are already doing something they enjoy. Also, any arts and crafts projects (I am not the most creative, and I love seeing how much creativity youth have with the projects).

Naomi’s Specialties

Transportation | Scheduling| Anxiety/Social Anxiety | Depression Behavioral Disorders | Emotion Regulation | Coping Strategies

Outdoor Recreation | Organization & Time Management
Learning New Interests & Hobbies | Relationship Building
Communication Skills | Problem Solving | Goal-Setting

Interests & Passions

I enjoy being outside and activities such as kayaking, tubing, fishing, ice skating, trail rides/walks, and enjoying the peace and quiet while sitting by a fire. I also enjoy spending time with friends and family by playing board and card games. At the end of the day, I love to sit on my couch and cuddle with my cats and watch TV, as well as going to music festivals in the summer.

I make this homemade creamy ranch chicken with roasted potatoes — one of my go-to comfort meals.

What’s On My Plate

Ideal Movie Night

I am not a huge movie person, but a movie from my childhood that is one of my comfort movies is Brother Bear.

Playlist Picks

“Forget You” by CeeLo Green — I love to belt this song in my car whenever I need to decompress (I do play the non-clean version, but this version is good as well).

“Stay” by Sugarland — I will always sing this song when it comes on (I am not a huge singer).

Any 2000s country song.

Furry Friends

I have 2 cats: Nova, an all-grey Ragdoll, and Freckles, a tortoiseshell.

It is from the show Parks and Recreation. Two characters had a day of luxury and called it “Treat Yo’ Self Day,” and now whenever I have a bad day or just need a pick-me-up, I say “Treat yo’ self” in my head and use it for self-care.