In the heart of South Georgia, just 20 minutes from the Florida line, Redirect Counseling has served its community since 2001 with a mission rooted in personal experience and compassion: to offer convenient, low-cost, nonjudgmental services to individuals seeking a better path forward. When the pandemic brought in-person treatment to a halt, founder and director Laci Rankhorn faced a choice — pause programming or adapt.
She chose to adapt.
The challenge of going virtual
Redirect Counseling, like many providers, initially struggled with the abrupt shift to virtual treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual group sessions began over video, and materials were mailed to participants — a time-consuming and costly process that yielded limited engagement and poor outcomes.
It quickly became clear: a digital shift in delivery also required a digital shift in content.
Enter Atlas: A game-changer for clinicians and clients
While researching grant opportunities and searching for scalable solutions, Laci discovered Atlas, The Change Companies’ digital platform designed for virtual and hybrid behavioral health programming. Already familiar with the organization’s Interactive Journaling® approach, Laci decided to make the leap.
Redirect now uses Atlas to deliver substance use treatment, anger management and violence intervention programming. Clients access their assigned Journals online, complete weekly reflections and engage with multimedia resources — all from their personal devices.
“Going online for online curriculum delivery is — in my opinion — a very, very smart business choice. And we've seen positive outcomes from the clients as well,” said Laci.
A clinician’s perspective: Working smarter, not harder
Sherri Ward, a counselor at Redirect and a professional in long-term recovery herself, has embraced the platform as a powerful clinical tool.
“[Atlas] has helped me work smarter, not harder,” she shared.
Through the Atlas participant dashboard, Sherri can monitor client engagement: how long participants spend in their Journals, how frequently they log in and the depth of their reflections. She uses this data therapeutically, opening up one-on-one conversations about motivation, barriers to progress and accountability.
In a population that often includes court-mandated clients, this level of transparency supports both the therapeutic process and compliance.
Setting clear expectations in a virtual world
As Sherri quickly discovered, running virtual groups requires more than just switching on a webcam. Early challenges — clients joining sessions from cars, shopping trips or noisy public spaces — led Redirect to establish clear virtual behavior contracts.
These agreements cover everything from punctuality and screen presence to expectations around weekly Journal completion in Atlas. Participants who miss assignments or violate etiquette receive consequences such as being denied entry to group sessions or being reported back to probation officers.
Bringing quality assurance into focus
Atlas doesn’t just make client engagement visible — it makes documentation and quality assurance easier. With features like journaling activity summaries, session tracking and integrated insights, clinicians can streamline charting and better understand client progress.
And coming soon, automated alerts will flag low-quality or potentially harmful responses — helping clinicians focus their attention where it matters most.
"As a facilitator in Atlas, you can go in and read what those clients are writing. If they are just typing gobbledygook on their prompts, you know that the quality is not there for their participation. Whereas if they’re writing something that is truly heartfelt and that you can tell they're taking their time and thinking about those prompts — that lets you know that what you're doing is helpful and working,” said Sherri.
Conclusion: A better way to engage, empower and equip
Atlas has become more than a workaround for Redirect Counseling — it’s a scalable, flexible tool that empowers both clinicians and clients. With its evidence-based foundation in Interactive Journaling, built-in engagement analytics and seamless content delivery, Atlas is redefining what’s possible for digital behavioral health care.
Whether you’re serving court-mandated individuals or voluntary clients, operating virtually or in person, Atlas helps clinicians do what they do best — facilitate meaningful change.
About the Presenters
Laci Rankhorn, Owner/Director of Redirect Counseling
Laci has been working in the field of substance abuse counseling and domestic violence intervention since Redirect’s opening in 2001, and took over the company following her mother’s passing in 2011. She is a certified DUI School instructor, Prime for Life 420 instructor, Certified in MRT Facilitation, a SAP for DOT, and a State certified Clinical Evaluator and Substance abuse treatment provider #2314, ICADC, CADC-II, E-CADC, and ICCJP. She also has reciprocity to practice in FL.
Sherri Ward, Counselor
Sherri has been working in the Substance abuse field for 20+ years. She is a Master's Level Certified Addictions Counselor, a certified Family Violence Intervention Program facilitator, as well as certified in Prime Solutions and Prime For Life. As a person in long term recovery, her passion is to see others achieve sobriety and stability.
Evidence-based, behavioral health Interactive Journaling® curricula are available digitally on Atlas. Atlas can save staff time while supporting fidelity to evidence-based practices.
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