VALPARAISO, IN, July 21, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Alice Olson has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Born in Valparaiso, Indiana to Omer Olaf and Betty Jean Olson, Alice Olson did not originally harbor ambitions of entering into the health care industry. At first, she had planned to become a teacher, and her Bachelor of Science in education and Master of Arts in special education reinforced that goal. She started out her career as a teacher in Portage Adult Education in 1975, but quickly found that education was not the field she was destined for.

Until 1986, Ms. Olson worked as a rehabilitation counselor for deaf people in Highland, Indiana. She built the backbone of her professional skills by counseling deaf and hard of hearing individuals for vocational positions. Additionally, she served as an interpreter for deaf people in various situations.

In 1986, Ms. Olson became an addictions and behavioral medicine counselor at the Centers of Addictive Services and Behavioral Medicine of Methodist Hospitals of Gary, Inc. In that role, she screened, evaluated and provided appropriate treatment to individuals in the outpatient program. She also ran an intensive outpatient program two days per week for four months in 1995. She held her role until 2004, at which time she gained a great deal of experience in a number of professional roles.

The next two decades saw Ms. Olson through positions at Care Counseling Center, Methodist Hospital, Regional Health Center and Parkdale Center for Professionals, among others. She earned certifications in a number of areas throughout her career, including Certified Interpreter of the Deaf, Certified Co-occurring Disorder Specialist, Nationally Certified Counselor, and Nationally Certified Addictions Counselor II. She is also a licensed mental health counselor and a licensed clinical addictions counselor.

In her present role with the Parkdale Center for Professionals, Ms. Olson serves as a substance abuse therapist, working with professionals from the health care field, among others, and running four telehealth aftercare groups of clients that use recovery safety plans as the basis of their continuing care. Through her work, she helps clients stay strong, prevent relapses, and identify the triggers that tempt them toward substance abuse.

To honor Ms. Olson for the important work she does, a number of groups have granted her awards and accolades, including a graduate fellowship from Ball State University in 1973. She received a number of letters of recommendation from notable political figures, including Indiana Governor Robert Orr, Indiana Governor Otis Bowen, and President Ronald Reagan. In 1999, she was named as a member of Chi Sigma Iota, within the Gamma Sigma Upsilon chapter of Governors State University. She has also earned a number of distinctions through Marquis Who's Who, including Who's Who in America, Who's Who of Distinguished Professionals, Who's Who of Professional Women, and Millennium Magazine.

Interestingly, Ms. Olson was dispirited by the state of managed care when it was introduced in the early 1990s. Throughout a five-year period, she remembered hearing about a number of large corporations that didn't have enough data to make a diagnosis but nonetheless provided treatment. A few businesses were sued and forced to close. However, in the end, she did discover some professional managed care people with whom she needed to speak so they could be on the same page, and they were basically trying to ensure that they were doing right by the client and improving their operations. The advice that Ms. Olson would give the next generation thinking of going into the same profession would be that it is not about the money, but about making a difference in people's lives. Have a sense of accomplishment where you can make a difference in another person's life by shining a light. She advises getting into prevention and to learn coping skills.

In reflecting on the arc of her career, Ms. Olson's path reveals a life guided less by a predetermined plan than by a deep commitment to helping others find their way forward. From her early days supporting the deaf and hard of hearing community to decades of counseling individuals struggling with addiction, she has consistently used her knowledge, empathy, and perseverance to bring hope where it was most needed. Today, through her work with professionals in recovery, she continues to demonstrate that healing and resilience are always possible. As new generations enter the field, Ms. Olson's message remains clear and enduring: when the goal is to truly make a difference in another person's life, the impact can extend far beyond a single career, lighting the path toward healthier, stronger communities for years to come.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. The suite of Marquis® publications, including Who's Who in America® and Who's Who in the World®, remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the globe. Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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