Meet Floyd Else, Webmaster
Floyd Else, M.A., LMHC (ret.), NCC, MAC
Professional Qualifications:
State Licensure: Licensed Mental Health Counselor (#1857), State of Washington Professional counselor since: 1985
Other Certifications:
National Certified Counselor (#26431), National Board for Certified Counselors Master of Addiction Counselor (#26431), a specialty certification by National Board for Certified Counselors
College Degrees:
Master of Arts Degree in Counseling, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa Postgraduate work: completed an additional undergraduate major in art and ten hours of graduate art work, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington Bachelor of Science Degree, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Professional Memberships:
- American Mental Health Counselors Association
- American Counseling Association
- Washington Mental Health Counselors Association
- Washington Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
- Washington Counseling Association
- Seattle Counselors Association
- Pierce County Counselors Association
General Background Information
Floyd worked for Seattle-King County Public Health (the Health Department) from 1986 until retiring in June 2003. He has provided individual and group counseling in county owned and operated inpatient and outpatient treatment programs, working with adults with complex problems and disabilities. His duties have included doing alcohol/drug abuse assessments, facilitating process groups, and giving lectures to large groups.
He specialized for five years as a Dual-Diagnosis (MICA) Counselor working with clients who had both a major mental health diagnosis and a chemically dependency diagnosis. In aftercare planning he coordinated aftercare referrals for mental health case management, medication monitoring, continuing chemical dependency treatment, vocational counseling, job placement services, legal services, clean and sober transitional housing, and other services needed by clients. In the process, he developed a variety of questionnaires, forms, and handouts for use in diagnosing, teaching and counseling clients. He maintained a small private practice in Bellevue, Washington from 1994 to June 2005.
Floyd was born and raised in the small village of Elm Creek Nebraska (population 850), the son of the pharmacist/drug store owner father and a bookkeeper mother. Floyd is the proud father of two grown children (a boy and a girl) who are both married and live and work here in Washington State.
In his past life (before becoming a counselor) Floyd worked as director of a non-profit program, as a bank branch operations manager, as an industrial engineer-schedule planner in aerospace, as a junior high school special education teacher, and as a US Army legal clerk.
At various times in support of his many educational undertakings, he has also worked as a nursing unit clerk in a hospital ICU, as a professional resume writer for a career development firm, truck driver, and many other types of work. He now works out of an office in his home, and enjoys working out on weight machines at the YMCA, writing for the website, and reading mysteries. At present, he is intensively concerned about the wellbeing and futures of new Licensed Associate Counselors in Washington State.
Floyd experienced strokes in 2010, and 2012, and has successfully recovered with no cognitive deficits, except for some "word retrieval" problems when speaking and writing—(eliminating public speaking as an option.) He has the benefit of a stable 30+ year relationship with a very intelligent and talented woman who devotes much of her life to healthy gourmet cooking and to churning out beautiful quilts she donates to Project Linus to be given to children in hospitals. For the Counseling Washington website, he transferred the site to his General Manager, Lisa Pastore, who has worked with him for 15 years for daily management and web technical skills.
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 6714, Bellevue, Washington 98008-0714
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