Open Door Assessments, LLC

Dawn is amazing at her job! She doesn't judge & she certainly does not look down anyoneShe does both assessments for drinking & driving infractions/drug use & driving for the [redacted] County Courthouse, as well as conduct classes for Alcohol Highway Safety EducationI first met her at the courthouse during my assessmentI was feeling completely mortified & ashamed of the choices I had made the night of my offenseAs soon as I stepped into Dawn's office I began to relax a little & once we spoke, she made me feel a little less ashamed of my actionsI screwed up, but we all make mistakes and after speaking with her I chose not to dwell on what I had done, but instead to commit myself to never making such a choice again & to do everything in my power to prevent any friends or even a stranger when possible from making the mistake of drinking & driving Today I attended her Alcohol Highway Safety ClassOnce again, she made an impactWithout a doubt she was born to be a therapist! I was surprised by some of the knowledge I gained during the classAt years old, I really didn't think there was much to learn about drunk drivingI was wrongShe played some videos that would have effect on anyone other than a sociopath, yet throughout I still felt at ease & never once felt berated for my crimeOne of the most memorable moments of the class was when Dawn presented two speakers to share their own personal experience with drunk driving & how it effected & still effects their livesThis was an inexplicably powerful way to end the classI won't get into detail out of respect for the speakers but the first was a very visibly sweet & caring woman, who one night years ago made the same choice I had & got behind the wheel after drinkingHer night ended in tragedy rather than a simple DUIShe explained how she had taken a man's life, the intense emotions she went through upon learning he did not survive, all the way through her incarceration & eventual release & the road she's on now adapting to freedom & rejoining her family & societyHer story was compelling & heart-wrenchingAnd her story could just as easily been the story of any one of us sitting in that roomThe second speaker had lost her mother to a drunk driverIt was a tragic, abrupt, & violent end to a gentle & loving womanAs she told her story, it was hard not to imagine just how angry & completely crushed I would be if I had a loved one ripped away from me in such a senseless mannerI commend both women for showing such strength by telling their story and am grateful to have the privilege to witness such courage & to be given the chance to learn from their life's experiences I could go on and on (clearly!)I just wanted to make sure that whoever reads this has the right perspective when they meet a woman like DawnRather than be angry at the system & frustrated at being forced to take her class, I think most leave feeling grateful that they had the opportunity to learn from their mistakes through a fairly minor consequence

Dawn is amazing at her job! She doesn't judge & she certainly does not look down anyone. She does both assessments for drinking & driving infractions/drug use & driving for the [redacted] County Courthouse, as well as conduct classes for Alcohol Highway Safety Education. I first met her at the courthouse during my assessment. I was feeling completely mortified & ashamed of the choices I had made the night of my offense. As soon as I stepped into Dawn's office I began to relax a little & once we spoke, she made me feel a little less ashamed of my actions. I screwed up, but we all make mistakes and after speaking with her I chose not to dwell on what I had done, but instead to commit myself to never making such a choice again & to do everything in my power to prevent any friends or even a stranger when possible from making the mistake of drinking & driving.
Today I attended her Alcohol Highway Safety Class. Once again, she made an impact. Without a doubt she was born to be a therapist! I was surprised by some of the knowledge I gained during the class. At 38 years old, I really didn't think there was much to learn about drunk driving. I was wrong. She played some videos that would have effect on anyone other than a sociopath, yet throughout I still felt at ease & never once felt berated for my crime. One of the most memorable moments of the class was when Dawn presented two speakers to share their own personal experience with drunk driving & how it effected & still effects their lives. This was an inexplicably powerful way to end the class. I won't get into detail out of respect for the speakers but the first was a very visibly sweet & caring woman, who one night years ago made the same choice I had & got behind the wheel after drinking. Her night ended in tragedy rather than a simple DUI. She explained how she had taken a man's life, the intense emotions she went through upon learning he did not survive, all the way through her incarceration & eventual release & the road she's on now adapting to freedom & rejoining her family & society. Her story was compelling & heart-wrenching. And her story could just as easily been the story of any one of us sitting in that room. The second speaker had lost her mother to a drunk driver. It was a tragic, abrupt, & violent end to a gentle & loving woman. As she told her story, it was hard not to imagine just how angry & completely crushed I would be if I had a loved one ripped away from me in such a senseless manner. I commend both women for showing such strength by telling their story and am grateful to have the privilege to witness such courage & to be given the chance to learn from their life's experiences.
I could go on and on (clearly!). I just wanted to make sure that whoever reads this has the right perspective when they meet a woman like Dawn. Rather than be angry at the system & frustrated at being forced to take her class, I think most leave feeling grateful that they had the opportunity to learn from their mistakes through a fairly minor consequence.