Oklahoma City drug and alcohol counselor lets her past do the talking

“I didn't even know I needed to change,” she recalled. “At first I didn't want to be in counseling, and then I wouldn't stop.”

‘She really cares'

Through the years, Williams has developed a bond with clients whose troubles mirror those she once faced.

“She really cares for her clients,” said Saby Rubio, 42, a 2010 graduate of the CARE Court program administered by the federal court in Oklahoma City. “She's been through it so she understands us.”

Williams believes she is making amends by reaching out to others in need and sharing her past, which she considers to be “an asset and not a liability.”

“My part in this whole thing is to let them know that the things they've done don't define them,” she said. “Like going to prison doesn't define who they are; it's a very small part of who they are.”