Meet our Staff|Marlene Schafer, LPC, LAC, NCC, DVCS

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” - C.S. Lewis.

| A word from Marlene |

Welcome! My name is Marlene Schafer, and I am the Founder of Arukah Center, a Licensed Substance Abuse Agency in Colorado, serving Colorado Springs and Pueblo.

Established in 2022, Arukah Center is dedicated to addressing the needs of the community and providing individuals with the necessary resources to lead more purposeful lives. Our center specializes in Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Domestic Violence Treatment.

Our mission is to support your success by providing a safe environment to address life challenges. We aim to collaborate with you, using your strengths to align with your passions and values, thereby fostering meaningful change.

We are committed to supporting your healing journey by offering guidance, support, and tools to help you navigate through various stages of life. Whether you are facing challenges related to substance use, mental health, life transitions, relationship issues, or court-mandated treatment, we are here to assist you.

It is our hope that this visit inspires belief in the possibility of change and transformation. I look forward to meeting you!

| About Marlene |

I earned my undergraduate degree in Sociology, with an emphasis in Criminology, from the University of Southern Colorado and my Master’s degree Community Counseling from the University of Phoenix.

I am licensed in the State of Colorado as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC). I am also a Domestic Violence Clinical Supervisor (DVCS) and a National Certified Counselor (NCC) through the National Board for Certified Counselors. I am a member of NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, and the Colorado Association of Addiction Professionals.

My clinical training includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and faith- and spiritually integrated counseling.

I have extensive experience providing individual and group therapy to individuals facing a wide range of life challenges. My areas of focus include behavioral addictions, substance use disorders, grief and loss, trauma, posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression, domestic violence, and relationship difficulties.

My approach to counseling is compassionate, collaborative, and focused on meaningful change. I believe in meeting people where they are while helping them develop greater self-awareness, strengthen coping skills, recognize patterns that may be keeping them stuck, and build healthier ways of responding to life's challenges and relationships.

Outside of my professional work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends and my two dogs. I also enjoy fishing, reading, and spending time in the mountains.