- Orting Middle School
- OMS Home
Meet the district's new drug and alcohol student counselor, Debbi Reed
Debbi Reed is an ATOD (alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs) professional who works with young kids and teenagers experiencing drug, alcohol, and tobacco use. Through her employer, Puget Sound Educational Service District (ESD), and the district's $220k grant through the Washington State Health Care Authority, Orting School District (OSD) contracts Reed's services as the Orting Middle School (OMS) and Orting High School (OHS) Student Assistant Professional.
OSD's need for Reed's services is based on the district's 2018 Healthy Youth Survey and the 2021 COVID-19 Student Survey Data at OMS and OHS, which showed increased use of vaping, e-cigarettes, prescription drugs, and marijuana.
Related: Orting School District awarded state grant to support local youth in making healthy choices
In her role with OSD, Reed addresses ATOD prevention, intervention issues, and educational support among adolescents. She also offers student support for those struggling with healthy choices and community services for drug and alcohol prevention and intervention, including:
- Education services to school staff, parents, and community partnerships
- Assessments of student strengths and needs
- Referrals to local agencies to address identified strengths and needs for the student and their family
Reed says she wants to impact local families needing her support.
"It is important to provide students, families, school staff, and our community with a caring, supportive, and experienced professional," Reed says. "Also, this can have a positive influence on student success."
For over 25 years, Reed has worked with individuals needing adolescent and adult treatment services. She also worked at the Seattle Union Gospel Mission as the recovery director and at Sea Mar Behavioral Health as the Pierce County Clinical Director.