Spirit Lake Recovery & Wellness

06/12/2026

Today, our hearts are full as we reflect on the incredible success of our 4th Annual Celebrate Recovery Event. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who attended, supported, and helped make this gathering such a meaningful and inspiring day. 🥳🩷

First and foremost, we are incredibly proud of all of our guest speakers who courageously shared their stories of hope, healing, perseverance, and recovery. A special thank you to John Chaske, Renae Alberts, Grant Cavanaugh, Zoe Azure, Rayeisha King and Digger Azure for your beautiful and heartfelt speeches. Your willingness to share your personal journeys touched so many lives, reminded others that recovery is possible, and provided hope to those who may still be struggling. Your strength and vulnerability are truly inspiring, and we are honored that you trusted us with your stories. ✊🏽

To everyone currently walking the path of recovery, we want you to know that we see you, we support you, and we celebrate every step you take toward healing. Recovery is not always easy, but every day is an opportunity for growth, strength, and change. To those who may still be struggling with addiction, please know that you are not alone. There is hope, there is support, and there are people who care deeply about your wellbeing. Recovery is possible, and your story is still being written. 💟

We would also like to give a special shoutout to Rez Recovery and the Spirit Lake Recovery Warriors for attending and standing alongside us in support of recovery and wellness within our communities. Your presence, dedication, and advocacy continue to make a positive impact on the lives of many individuals and families.

Thank you as well to all of the programs, agencies, organizations, and community partners who participated by hosting booths and sharing valuable information about the services and resources available to those seeking help and support. Your commitment to serving our community helps connect individuals with the tools they need to begin and sustain their recovery journey.

Lastly, we want to recognize and celebrate the amazing Spirit Lake Recovery & Wellness staff. Your compassion, dedication, and tireless work do not go unnoticed. Every day, you provide hope, encouragement, and support to individuals and families affected by addiction. Through your commitment to individualized care, you meet each client where they are in their journey, recognizing that recovery looks different for everyone. Your efforts help create a safe, supportive environment where healing can begin, and lives can be transformed.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year's Celebrate Recovery event a success. Together, we continue to break the stigma surrounding addiction, uplift those in recovery, and build stronger, healthier communities grounded in hope, healing, and support.

Recovery is possible. Hope is real. And no one has to walk this journey alone. ❤️

06/10/2026

Today, we celebrated some incredible milestones and the hard work, growth, and dedication of four amazing individuals! 🥳 (some were passed/overdue). If you see them, please congratulate them on their sobriety & their recovery journey!

First, we'd like to congratulate Tristen Lohnes on successfully finishing the treatment program 🥳🎉🙌🏽 Tristen has a way of lighting up a room the moment he walks through the door. His insight, honesty, and ability to be truthful with both himself and others have been inspiring to witness. Over the course of his recovery journey, he has grown tremendously and come so far in his sobriety. We are incredibly proud of everything he has accomplished and the person he continues to become. While we'll miss seeing him around, we hope he knows our doors are always open. Come visit us anytime, Tristen! We wish you nothing but success, happiness, and continued growth. Remember—you'll always be a Wiconi Warrior ✊🏽

We are also proud to recognize Sheila Belgarde as she transitions to a lower level of care 🎉 Sheila's journey was not an easy one, and there were certainly challenges and rough patches along the way. Through it all, she persevered and continued moving forward. One of the greatest lessons she embraced was learning that not everything requires a reaction, and she leaned into the support system around her. Her strength, resilience, and commitment to her recovery have been remarkable, and we couldn't be prouder of how far she has come.

Congratulations to Melinda Thompson as she transitioned from Residential to Intensive Outpatient 🎉 Like many recovery journeys, Melinda's path has had its ups and downs, but she continued to push through every obstacle that came her way. Time and time again, she has emerged stronger, wiser, and more determined. She has made meaningful decisions that support her growth and well-being, and we are incredibly proud of the progress she has made! We look forward to watching her continue to succeed in this next chapter.

We'd also like to celebrate Felicity Tollefson as she transitions from Residential to Intensive Outpatient 🎉 We are so grateful that Felicity chose to be part of our program. In a relatively short amount of time, we have seen tremendous growth in her mindset, confidence, and outlook. We are excited to see her continue flourishing in outpatient as she works toward setting healthy boundaries and accomplishing goals for herself and her family. The progress she has made already is something to be proud of, and we know there are great things ahead for her.

To all four of these individuals—congratulations! 🤍 Your hard work, determination, and courage have not gone unnoticed. Recovery is a journey, and each step forward is worth celebrating. While most of you we'll continue to see as you move through the next phase of your care, we want to give a special sendoff to Tristen and remind him that he'll always have a place here with us 💘

We wish each of you the very best as you continue your journeys. Keep believing in yourselves, keep leaning on your support systems, and keep moving forward. We are proud of you all!

06/10/2026

Happening tomorrow June 11, 2026 at CCCC!
9am-4pm! Hope to see you there 🥳

🌟Join us for our 4th Annual Celebrate Recovery Event 🌟

❗️June 11, 2026 9am - 4pm❗️
📍Candeska Cikana Community College

Come join us for a day of recovery, hope, healing, & community! This special event will feature some amazing local guest speakers, a powerful honoring of loved ones lost to addiction, meaningful open mic testimonies, fun prize bingo, & a resource fair filled with recovery resources!

We are also excited to welcome multiple treatment & recovery programs across North Dakota to the resource fair, all coming together to support individuals & families affected by addiction. We wanted to give people the opportunity to meet & learn the other programs available to our community members who may need a higher level of care than Spirit Lake Recovery & Wellness can offer, or those who choose to be away from home for treatment. This allows families to ask questions, learn what the programs offer, & allow people to have options, whether it’s for yourself or to know where your loved one may be going.

Whether you are in recovery, supporting a loved one, or simply wanting to learn more, we invite you to be part of this inspiring event.

Recovery is possible. Hope is real. We can’t wait to celebrate with you! 💜

06/09/2026

Our inpatient residential clients had another wonderful opportunity to observe the weekly buffalo feeding, a tradition they have been participating in since winter. Today was especially exciting because it was the first summer feeding our clients have attended! ☀️

During the visit, Robert Greywater shared valuable knowledge about the buffalo and their care. He explained that the buffalo are currently grazing in a new pasture as part of a seasonal grazing process that utilizes five different sections throughout the year. By September, the herd will have rotated back to the opposite side of the pasture.

Clients learned about the feeding process, the importance of seasonal grazing, and several ways Robert and his team help keep the buffalo healthy and comfortable. An interesting example was the medicated cloth hangings placed near the water tank and at the pasture entrance. These cloths are soaked in a bug and mosquito repellent treatment, ensuring every buffalo brushes past them and receives protection as they move through the area. They also have salt rocks throughout the area that have salt & other minerals their bodies need for nutrients.

We are grateful to Robert for welcoming our clients to be part of these feeding experiences and for taking the time to educate them about the care, management, and wellbeing of our buffalo. Opportunities like these provide meaningful learning experiences while helping our clients connect with the land, culture, and animals in our community.

Thank you, Robert, for your continued support and dedication! 🤎

(All clients pictured below consented & approved of post)

06/04/2026

❗️If any current or past clients need transportation to our 4th Annual Celebrate Recovery Event on June 11, 2026, please call us by 3:00 pm on June 10, 2026 at 766-4285 so we can put you down on the list 😊
❗️Any calls on June 11 will NOT be able to be put down on the list.

Thank you! Can’t wait to see everyone there!

06/03/2026

🌟Join us for our 4th Annual Celebrate Recovery Event 🌟

❗️June 11, 2026 9am - 4pm❗️
📍Candeska Cikana Community College

Come join us for a day of recovery, hope, healing, & community! This special event will feature some amazing local guest speakers, a powerful honoring of loved ones lost to addiction, meaningful open mic testimonies, fun prize bingo, & a resource fair filled with recovery resources!

We are also excited to welcome multiple treatment & recovery programs across North Dakota to the resource fair, all coming together to support individuals & families affected by addiction. We wanted to give people the opportunity to meet & learn the other programs available to our community members who may need a higher level of care than Spirit Lake Recovery & Wellness can offer, or those who choose to be away from home for treatment. This allows families to ask questions, learn what the programs offer, & allow people to have options, whether it’s for yourself or to know where your loved one may be going.

Whether you are in recovery, supporting a loved one, or simply wanting to learn more, we invite you to be part of this inspiring event.

Recovery is possible. Hope is real. We can’t wait to celebrate with you! 💜

06/02/2026

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the incredible missionary group that recently spent their time serving our program. Their dedication, hard work, & generosity have made a tremendous impact on our facility.

Over the course of their visit, these amazing volunteers accomplished an extraordinary amount of work. They mowed & maintained our grounds, widened & improved the outdoor yard space, completely transformed our garden, installed fencing to protect it from wildlife, & planted seeds that will continue to grow and benefit our clients & program for months to come. They also tackled the enormous task of cleaning out & reorganizing our entire garage, helping us sort through years of accumulated items & dispose of materials that were damaged or no longer able to be used.

The results are nothing short of remarkable. Our entire program looks refreshed, revitalized, & so beautiful! What would have taken our team weeks or even months to accomplish was completed in an incredibly short amount of time through the hard work & teamwork of these 25 dedicated volunteers.

Your service not only improved our facility but also lifted a tremendous weight off our shoulders. The care, kindness, & effort you invested in our program did not go unnoticed, & we are truly grateful for every hour you spent helping us.

From all of us, thank you for your servant hearts, your willingness to help, & the positive difference you have made. We are blessed by your support & help!

Thank you to all 25 volunteers for helping make our program a better place. Your hard work, generosity, & commitment to serving others are deeply appreciated! God bless! ❤️🙏🌱🚜✨

05/28/2026

We are trying something new & highlighting our clients that complete the treatment program. Our program is typically 16+ weeks long, depending on the client. It is a long hard journey so we want to show appreciation & highlight how proud we are of those who persevered through (with client approval)😀

Today we celebrate Clint “CJ” Lara! We celebrate not only your successful completion of the program, but the incredible growth, strength, & determination you’ve shown throughout your journey! From the beginning, you approached treatment with openness, honesty, & willingness to grow, & that attitude made a lasting impact on everyone around you!

Watching you continue pursuing your education through social work in college has been inspiring. Your passion for wanting to help others & your ability to connect with people will take you far, & there is no doubt that your experiences & insight will one day make a difference in many lives. Who knows, maybe at Recovery & Wellness someday!

Your humor, positive attitude, & thoughtful insight brought so much light to the program. Whether it was making others laugh or offering encouragement & perspective to your peers, you made the environment better simply by being yourself. We have enjoyed having you at the program & you will be missed by the staff & by the fellow clients!

We are proud of everything you have accomplished & grateful we had the opportunity to be a part of your journey. Continue believing in yourself, stay focused on your goals, & remember how far you have already come. The future ahead of you is bright & we can’t wait to see all that you achieve ❤️ If you guys see CJ, congratulate him on his success! 🎉

*pictured below is Clint “CJ” Lara & Program Manager, Lakeisha Chaske*

05/14/2026

Spirit Lake Recovery & Wellness was honored to welcome special guest Senator Tim Mathern of District 11 for a tour of our facility & an opportunity to meet the individuals working hands-on in the treatment & recovery field every day.

During the visit, important discussions were held regarding the newly proposed IMD bill & the impact it could have on expanding treatment services. The bill would allow reimbursement funding for facilities with over 16 beds, helping strengthen treatment availability for communities in need.

Senator Mathern met with Program Manager Lakeisha Chaske, Tribal Health Manager Heather Skadsem, & CEO of Spirit Lake Health Center, Dixie Omen to further discuss the barriers our people continue to face when seeking treatment & recovery support. Conversations focused on the importance of accessible, culturally responsive care, & the continued need for advocacy & support for behavioral health services.

We enjoyed sharing lunch together, which provided Senator Mathern the opportunity to personally meet many of our clients & engage in meaningful one-on-one discussions about their recovery journeys, experiences & importance of treatment services within our community. Senator Tim thanked each client for all their hard work & encouraged them to keep moving forward.

Senator Tim Mathern expressed his full support for Spirit Lake Recovery & Wellness’ potential initiative to seek legislative support & funding opportunities aimed at increasing treatment access, expanding services, & improving availability of care for adults & adolescents seeking recovery.

We sincerely appreciate Senator Mathern for taking the time to visit our program again, listen to our staff & clients, witness all the new improvements & staff changes since his last visit, & support the ongoing efforts to strengthen recovery services for our people & communities!

05/12/2026

Goodmorning ☀️
We have current job position openings!
Please see the spirit lake nation website for postings & apply through SLT’s human resources department 😄

Current positions:
🔴 Resident Technicians (2 FT & 2 PT)
- All shifts (8am-4pm, 4pm-12am, 12am-8am)
- HS diploma or GED
- Driver’s license required for day & swing shift, not required for grave shift
- must be able to be insured by the tribe (good driving record)
- primary responsibilities include: making sure residential clients follow schedule, transportation, monitoring, complete random room checks & drug testing, admissions & discharges to the program, assist clients w daily living activities
❗️See job description for full list of responsibilities, qualifications, knowledge/skills❗️

🔴 TOR Registered Nurse (FT)
- day shift
- required to be on a rotation on-call schedule
- licensed registered nurse of the state of ND
- driver’s license required
- must be able to be insured by the tribe (good driving record)
- responsible for TOR grant
- primary responsibilities include: medical assessments for admissions, medication dispensing, ensuring compliance w TOR grant, following physician orders & working w medical providers to make sure clients are following medical treatment plan
❗️See job description for full list of responsibilities, qualifications, knowledge/skills❗️

Apply! Apply! Apply! Refer a friend/family that would be interested! Come join or wiconi warrior team 😄🥳