Upper Peninsula Leaders Recognized at Behavioral Health Summit

Upper Peninsula Leaders Recognized at Behavioral Health Summit

On Friday, October 5, 2023, Judy Krause, LMSW and Shelley Ovink, LMSW, ACSW were honored with a special award from NASW-Michigan at the U.P. Behavioral Health Summit for their decades of leadership, advocacy, and organizing for their social work colleagues in the Upper Peninsula.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the NASW presence across the U.P. would not be the same without the two of them. They have expanded the connections of hundreds of practitioners across the region through decades of advocacy, resource sharing, and through the hosting hundreds of local continuing education programs -- nearly all of them free to local clinicians.

Congratulations Judy and Shelley!

Judy Kruase has been a therapist for the past 20 years providing services for substance use, depression, anxiety, and PTSD; with additional expertise in elder services, home health and hospice. During her career Judy has worked as a  Medical social worker for the Marquette General Health Systems; a therapist, supervisor and addictions specialist for Catholic Social Services of the UP, as well as a field instructor and mentor for social work students through Michigan State University.

Judy earned her BSW from NMU in 1988 and her MSW in 2003 from Michigan State University.

Since 2005, she has served on and off in the position of Region 1 Representative (often with Shelley) on the NASW-Michigan Board, representing the voices of all social workers in the Upper Peninsula to our statewide association. Her most recent term ended earlier this year, but Judy will be continuing her leadership as the newest appointee to NASW-Michigan’s Chapter Ethics Committee.

Additionally, Judy has been very active in other areas across the Upper Peninsula, including serving on the boards of the National Alliance for Mental Illness, West End Suicide Prevention, and CISM-Critical Incident Stress Management team.

In her free time Judy is a crossfitter, working out 4-5 times a week, and enjoys kayaking, swimming, biking, hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing. She has two bio children, 5 bonus kids, 14 grandchildren and a few great grandlittles!

Shelley Ovink is a clinician in private practice, who has specialized in the area of domestic violence with adult male perpetrators. She is a qualified expert witness in that field and gets many referrals  through the local court system. Through her current work, Shelley  is helping to change her clients' thinking related to abuse and relationships.  

Shelley previously has worked at Pathways Community Mental Health and Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin & Upper Michigan. While at Pathways,  she helped create a Gatekeeper Program for homebound individuals  who had chronic or persistent mental health issues, and she  helped write the successful  grant that funded the program.

Shelley earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Detroit and a master’s degree in social work from Michigan State University.  She additionally holds certifications in Batterer’s Intervention and advanced alcohol and drug counseling.

Shelley has been an active member of several local coalitions, including in the areas of Domestic & Sexual Violence, and Substance Abuse & Violence Prevention. She has served on both local and regional School Boards for about 30 years and has been  active in the the Michigan Association of School Board’s Government Relations committee and with the  National Cadre of School Health Leaders. Shelly has also served on the local school board for several years and she has also been an local Emergency Responder. 

Within NASW-Michigan Shelley served as both the Region 1 Representative and as an active member of the Chapter Ethics Committee, providing crucial guidance and expertise to social workers across the state finding themselves in ethical dilemmas. In 2015, Shelley was appointed by then Governor Rick Snyder to serve on the Michigan Board of Social Work. 

Married, Shelley  has 5 children and 7 grandchildren.