Meet Our BHS Providers
Garrick Fuller
Garrick Fuller is a licensed clinical social worker who has lived in Nome since January of 2015. He received his Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis where he focused on children, youth, and families. He has received post-graduate school training in psychodynamic psychotherapy through the International Psychotherapy Institute’s Combined Child Training, Object Relations Theory and Practice, and Infant Observation programs. He currently guest teaches in the Combined Child Training program and is enrolled in the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Consultation Program. He has extensive experience working with children and their parents. He also enjoys the opportunity to work with anyone looking to make a change in their life. He looks forward to working with people on the root of their struggles that lie below the symptoms they are experiencing.
Ward Walker
Ward Walker is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has lived in Stebbins for seven years. He offers healing talking circles to promote sobriety, and specializes in anger management, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, historical trauma, and grief. Ward enjoys Yupik Dancing, subsistence fishing, woodworking projects, making stained glass, and sailing. He also enjoys his work immensely and is most grateful to be able to serve our communities.
Yuka Ungwiluk
Yuka Ungwiluk is a Village-Based Counselor (VBC) in Gambell. She has been working as a VBC for five years. She is certified as a Behavioral Health Aid II, holds an associate’s degree in Human Services, and is currently working on a bachelor’s in Social Work. She works as a substance use counselor and advocates for people to better mental health services. She enjoys the journey of healing with anyone she encounters. She humbly appreciates the resiliency in each one of us and loves to share the joy of living.
Wendy Osinkosky
Wendy Osinkosky is new to the region, but she spent several years in northwestern Alberta. Most of her years practicing social work have been spent in the rural Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, where she graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a licensed clinical social worker with 10+ years of experience in a state psychiatric hospital and another 10+ years in other social work roles (medical social work, nonprofit management, and family preservation work).
Her preference in practice is to start where the client is and pick interventions that are solution-focused and strengths-based and that meet the individual needs of the person. And, she says, since people are so different, there’s not just one practice style that fits all. She is a compassionate advocate for people facing mental illness, substance use, and trauma/loss – with special attention to disparities related to race/ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
In her free time, you can find Wendy fishing, hiking, gathering sea glass, or on a travel adventure to visit her large extended family that are spread out from Anchorage to Honolulu and throughout the lower 48.
Emma Olanna
Emma Irene Olanna was born in Wales, raised in Nome, and has lived in Brevig Mission for the past 31 years. She has been in the BHS field since 2001. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work in 2012 from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She loves subsistence and gathering food, reading, watching movies, cooking, and baking.
Celeste Washington
Prior to working in Nome, Celeste Washington was a Village-Based Counselor for her hometown of St. Michael. She is now a Clinical Associate/Prevention Specialist, working primarily with clients with substance use and also advocates for mental health. She is currently working towards her Associate’s degree with the Rural Human Services program and plans on continuing her education.
Celeste grew up sewing, gathering greens, picking berries, fishing, and hunting with her family in St. Michael. She also spent parts her summers in Emmonak while her father did fishing. Some of her favorite things to do include reading the Harry Potter series to her daughter, beach walking, and doing cultural activities.
Audrey Kulowiyi
Audrey Kulowiyi is from Savoonga. She is a mother of three and also has one grandson. She enjoys doing family-oriented activities, including fishing, egging, hunting, gathering, picnics, and watching movies together. She loves watching her sons play basketball and participate in wrestling.
“I love that my family is kind and find ways to help our people when they need help in our community,” she said. “I find peace in people coming in to reach out or simply stopping by to say hello.”
Emilie Loran
Emilie Loran, MS, is a psychology student predoctoral intern who moved to Nome in June of 2023. She is a doctoral candidate in Clinical-Community Psychology at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where she resided from 2018 until her move to Nome. She grew up in Missoula, MT where all her family continues to reside (so she loves to go visit). Emilie is passionate about helping folks identify and meet their goals and develop the skills needed to live life in a direction that works for them. In her free time, you will find Emilie somewhere outside with her two dogs or curled up with a good book and a (very) hot cup of tea.
