Nancy Weisel

As a kid growing up in tiny Burlington, Wisconsin, Nancy Weisel was inspired by her father, a minister and penitentiary chaplain. "I've never considered anything else except social service work," says Weisel, now clinical director of the Center for Community Counseling. Located in an old farmhouse on the grounds of St Thomas Episcopal Church, CCC was founded by Jan Moursund in 1978 to provide affordable counseling services to low-income adults. "We believe that mental-health services should be available to everyone," Weisel says. "We have three part-time staff and 70 volunteer mental-health professionals. Our average fee is $5." After graduation from college, Weisel worked and studied in Chicago for 12 years. "I started as an adolescent counselor at a psychiatric hospital," she notes. "I got a masters in social work from Illinois-Chicago Circle." On the way west, she worked in an employee mental-health resources program in Spokane for four years before landing in Eugene in 1991. She began at CCC a year later. "I've never stayed at any job this long," she observes. "It's an exciting place -- I'm honored to be part of it."

happening people photograph and story by Paul Neevel Eugene Weekly / 6 May 2004