From 2024 to 2025 Malene was harmed and abused at The Guidance Center in Flagstaff, AZ. This website, was started to respond to the abuse with both accountability, and actual knowledge of ethics, of Trauma Informed Care, and to give all of us a voice in standing up to the abuse that all too frequently happens in mental health hospitals, organizations and institutions. You will find Malene’s stories of the abuse she lived through here – as well as descriptions of the accountability work Malene has engaged in. There are also a curated example of emails or open letters Malene has sent to The Guidance Center and NARBHA leadership to attempt resolution; all of it ignored in full violation of Trauma Informed Principles.

Current Accountability, and important questions

On August 3, 2026, Flagstaff Shelter Services, the James Wurgler MD Endowed Chair at NAU, and The Guidance Center announced a collaborative behavioral health program targeting unhoused residents at Flagstaff’s Huntington Drive shelter. The stated goal is connecting shelter residents to treatment at The Guidance Center.

Between Trust and Trauma has serious concerns about the ethics, consent practices, financial conflicts, and civil rights implications of this program. The following three open letters have been submitted to:

• The Guidance Center
• The NARBHA Institute
• Flagstaff Shelter Services
• The James Wurgler MD Endowed Chair / NAU
• NAU Ethics & Institutional Review Board
• NAU Office of Internal Audit

A formal response is expected by August 20, 2026. All responses will be published here in full.

An Overview of My Concerns: Coercive Psychiatric Recruitment

Update: Is The Guidance Center Using Flagstaff Shelter as a Recruitment Tool?

Letter 1 – Submitted electronically to:
The Guidance Center CEO Devon Forrest
NARBHA CEO Mary Jo Gregory
The James Wurgler Endowment Fund
NAU Ethics Committee. It will further be in a package of material sent by certified mail on Monday 8/10/2026.
NAU Office of Internal Affairs. It will further be in a package of material sent by certified mail on Monday 8/10/2026.

Letter 2 – is addressed to NAU Ethics and Institutional Review Board

Letter 3 – is addressed to NAU Internal Audits Board

Addendum

Stories

Malene’s Stories:
Overview – Please note, this article is featured on Mad in America
The End of Trust
Two Kinds of Trust
Civil Rights in Mental Health Settings
How Common are Hipaa Violations at The Guidance Center?

Accountability

The Night They Almost Killed Me
Nurse Hansard Aka Manas Tried to Intimidate me Into Silence – It Didn’t Go Well!
Exposing The Monopoly
Who Is Mary Jo Gregory, RN?
Money and Power
The Silence of Dr. Teresa Bertsch, MD
The Lawyer: James Kaucher of Gust Law

Open Letters

Open Letter to The Guidance Center Leadership
Open Letter to Dr. Bertsch, Dr. Perez and Dr. Berkley