To heal, energize and find inner strengths

Sweetgrass Behavioral Health new mental health provider for Shawano area
By: 
Warren Bluhm
Editor-in-chief

With her husband, children, sisters, mother and invited guests looking on, Alegra Fowler formally opened her new clinic, Sweetgrass Behavioral Health, on Dec. 2.

“This is something I’ve been dreaming about for some time,” Fowler told the group that packed into the small office suite at 102 E. Green Bay St. in Shawano. “Thank you to my family and you all for your support.”

Fowler, a psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker with experience working for the Oneida Nation and Menominee Tribal Social Services, said she saw a need for a local mental health provider for ages 10 and up.

Her services include cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma-focused therapy and grief counseling, as well as brainspotting, which her literature describes as “a powerful, focused treatment method that works by identifying, processing and relating core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain” and other symptoms.

Why “Sweetgrass”?

“Because of its medicinal properties,” Fowler said. “It’s very helpful in purifying and healing the system.”

The goal of her service is to provide a neutral, safe space for clients to help them heal, become energized and regain their inner strengths, she said.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 2002, Fowler worked for the College of Menominee Nation for nearly nine years, then returned to UW-Green Bay to study for her Master of Social Work. She did her internship with Oneida Behavioral Health and spent three years as a family preservation social worker for Menominee Tribal Social Services, earning her certification as a licensed clinical social worker in 2019 and going to work with the Oneida.

At least two dozen people attended the ribbon cutting, including Fowler’s husband, Joel, her mother, Ava Fowler, and sisters Alden Payne and Alea Cox.

“We’re all proud of her,” Ava Fowler said, encouraging visitors to partake of the spread prepared by Tom Jonet, longtime chef at Reinhart Foodservice in Shawano. “You have to eat if you want to have a beautiful day.”

To get information or make an appointment, call Fowler at 715-280-8130, email contact@sweetgrassbh.com or visit www.sweetgrassbh.com.


wbluhm@newmedia-wi.com