J. Esther Castillo

About J. Esther Castillo

I currently work with Amity Foundation as a Substance Use Disorder Counselor providing addiction counseling, life skills education, and treatment planning within a correctional treatment setting.My work focuses on helping individuals understand addiction, develop practical recovery skills, and build structured action plans that support long-term sobriety and successful reintegration. I facilitate individual and group counseling using evidence-informed approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and the Living in Balance curriculum.I am a bilingual (English/Spanish) counselor with experience supporting justice-involved individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. My approach emphasizes cultural competency, trauma-informed care, and practical life skills that empower individuals to make sustainable changes.My professional work is informed by long-term engagement in recovery communities, which strengthens my commitment to meeting individuals with empathy, accountability, and respect.I am particularly interested in expanding my work with veterans and LGBTQ+ individuals navigating addiction recovery and reintegration.

Experience

1. Certified Substance Abuse Councelor

   Amity Foundation

   Jun 2025 — Present · Soledad, CA, US

   I am a counselor teacher actively teaching Life Skills, including all areas of life affected by addiction. My students are provided with the opportunity to learn about motivation, how crime affects victims and hearing the stories from survivors of violent crime (Victim Impact), the Four Areas of Impact, the Ripple Effect and more. For the last two and a half years I have presented empirically based information to my students by providing them with the ability create a safe space with me and their peers in the classroom without expectations of right answers only. I have also helped my students learn about how addiction changes the mind and general outlook tainted by the clouding effects of drugs and alcohol through empirically based information. In doing so my students have, many for the first time, an understanding of how addiction has affected their family life, finances, sexual health and the risks associated with risky behavior leading them to prison. I have the had the pleasure to see my students change over a seven month period when they test the material only to discover that it works and it simultaneously improves their relationships with family and their relationships with other incarcerated individuals leading to healthier outcomes.

Education

• California State University-Dominguez Hills

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Public Relations/Advertising

  2009 — 2012

• Hartnell College

  Addiction Studies

• Fullerton College

  Associate of Arts (A.A.), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities

  1986 — 1991

Skills

• Communications Planning
• Web Content
• Outlook
• Advertising
• Strategic Communications
• Microsoft Office
• Publicity
• Social Networking
• Social Media Measurement
• Press Kits
• Nonprofits
• Teaching
• Reputation Management
• Volunteer Management
• Newsletters
• Customer Service
• Media Planning
• Photoshop
• Photography
• Public Speaking
• Microsoft Word
• Event Planning
• Editing
• Creative Direction
• Social Media Marketing
• Powerpoint
• Integrated Marketing
• Spokesperson
• Social Media
• Press Releases
• Copywriting
• Journalism
• Public Relations
• Blogging
• Research
• Media Relations
• Proofreading
• Copy Editing
• Marketing
• Ap Style