Sherrie Lopez
Sherrie (Nelson) Lopez, BA, LCDC, is a dedicated Drug and Alcohol Counselor serving the Bowie community in Texas through Helen Farabee MHMR Center. With seven years of experience in addiction treatment and recovery services, Sherrie is committed to helping individuals rediscover hope, dignity, and long-term healing. She began her counseling career at Stillwater Behavioral Health, a medical detox facility in Montecito, California, where she worked for five years before relocating to Texas. In her current role, she facilitates group counseling and psychoeducational programs twice weekly, covering substance use recovery, HIV and communicable disease prevention, and opioid overdose awareness. She is especially passionate about Narcan training and expanding opioid education to save lives within her rural community.
Sherrie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Clinical Psychology from California Lutheran University, graduating with a 3.89 GPA, and previously earned her Associate of Arts in Psychology from Oxnard College. Her professional credentials include Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, ICADC through the Texas Certification Board of Addiction Professionals, CATC II through the ACCBC, and CADC II in California. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree at Midwestern State University with the goal of becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor and ultimately earning her PhD, focusing on the intersection of trauma, mental health, and addiction.
What sets Sherrie apart is not only her clinical training but her lived experience. Having personally navigated recovery after 38 years of addiction, she brings authenticity, empathy, and deep compassion to her counseling practice. She understands firsthand the courage it takes to seek help and the resilience required to sustain change. Her mission is to empower clients to recognize their inherent worth, break cycles of trauma and substance use, and build lives grounded in purpose, accountability, and hope.
• Currently pursuing Master's degree at MSU Texas
• California Lutheran University - Bachelor of Arts - BA, Clinical Psychology
• Oxnard College - AA-T, PSYCHOLOGY
• Oxnard College - Addictive Disorder Studies
• LCDC (Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor)
• ICADC (International Certification for Alcohol and Drug Counselors)
• CATC2
• CADC2
• Dean's List
• Texas Certification Board of Addiction Professionals
• ACCBC Board
• California CAP Board
Areas of Specialization/Expertise
- Substance Abuse
- Opioid Overdose Prevention
- HIV and Communicable Disease Education
- Narcan Training
- Psychoeducation
- CPS Cases
- Motivational Interviewing
What do you enjoy most about practicing medicine?
What I enjoy most is seeing the transformation in my clients and helping them realize they are worthy of recovery. I work with a lot of CPS cases here in Bowie, and it's a passion of mine to help mothers see that they are worthy and that recovery can be done, even though I didn't get my own kids back when I was struggling. By the time clients leave my care and go into their own lives, they're back in school, they have goals they've set for themselves. I had one young lady who was a CPS case who just called me yesterday telling me she's getting her kids back in 30 days - from 'I'm never gonna get my kids back' to 'thank you, Cherie, I'm getting them back.' All I do is give them hope and encouragement and help them find their strengths, and even their weaknesses, because through their weaknesses they can gain some momentum and start changing that negative narrative of 'you're never going to amount to nothing.' I help them change that narration through motivational interviewing, so they tell themselves 'hey, wait a minute, I am worthy. Hey, wait a minute, I did do a good job. Hey, wait a minute, I can have this too.' It's the encouragement and sitting behind them, showing them that they're worthy that's important. Even if it just helps one person, everything I've ever done in my life has been worth it.