Meet Molly McIntosh, Common Ground’s Lead Counslor In Red Wing

At Common Ground, an addiction treatment center in Red Wing, MN, we adopt the philosophy “Meeting you where you are.” It is a philosophy that extends to our clients in all we do, and we recruit staff that adopt these same views.

Meet Molly McIntosh, Common Ground’s Clinical Supervisor for our outpatient treatment programs in Red Wing, MN. Molly has her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she majored in criminal justice and political science.

Following her education, Molly completed an internship with the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and went on to complete her Alcohol & Drug Counseling education and licensure through Metropolitan State University, followed by an internship with the Cochran Recovery House in Hastings, MN. Molly is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) with the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy.

In her spare time, Molly loves staying active. She grew up playing sports and loves competition, so she also coaches sports in her free time. She loves spending time with her dogs, her horse, and her family and friends.

We sat down with Molly to learn more about why she loves working in the field of alcohol and drug counseling and here’s what she had to say:

Why are you passionate about the field of alcohol and drug counseling?

“Addiction is something that has touched my life in many personal ways. I wanted to find a career that could help people and help them become the best versions of themselves. I love watching people make positive changes in their lives and I love being a small part of that. After spending a lot of time in the criminal justice field, being on the other side of things, I got sick of seeing the same people get arrested over and over for the same thing, when all they really needed was help.”

What’s your favorite thing about Common Ground?

“The best thing about working for Common Ground is the flexibility we have as counselors to reach our clients. We don't necessarily have a "cookie cutter" method to reach people, we can be creative. I can do art therapy one day and CBT therapy the next day if needed.

I also like it because we help people at any stage in their recovery whether it be helping them get to a residential facility, offering them outpatient services or helping them plan their discharge and life after treatment.”

What advice would you give to someone struggling with addiction today?

“The advice I would give someone that is struggling with addiction would be to be kind and gentle with yourself. Know that mistakes happen but you can learn from them and work every day towards making small changes. Small changes lead to big changes in the end.”

Favorite words of wisdom?

“It's ok to piece your life together differently than it was before.”

Common Ground provides addiction treatment in Red Wing, MN. If you or someone you know is in need of treatment services in Rochester, Winona, or Red Wing, MN, please contact us today.