Health - Balance - Hope

An Interview with Rocky Schiralli

Where did you grow up?

I actually grew up in Gary, Indiana, and was born and raised there as my parents also were. I went to Holy Angels Grade School and High School From there I went to Indiana University for my Bachelor's degree, and the to West Georgia College, for a Master's degree in psychology.

What brought you back to the Northwest Indiana area?

Well, actually right after college I was a partner with my brother in a demolition business. Kind of a trade off from a psychology background, and I did that for several years.

My first job in the profession was working at Southlake Mental Health where I worked from 1982 to 1998. I also worked for many years as part of Southlake, working at the Lake County Jail, managing the health services there for the Sheriff's department. We provided all of the medical care for the inmates at the jail. I was in need of a change and wanted to change directions in my career. I was fortunate enough in 1998 to land a job at Porter-Starke. My first position there was managing the children's adolescent addiction program.

It was kind of interesting when I first interviewed for the job, I interviewed with Lee Grogg who was the CEO at the time and having worked at Southlake Mental Health, I was hesitant to make a change, because you get used to your comfort zone that you're familiar with. Lee sensed that apprehension. He encouraged me to accept the position and he told me that Porter-Starke was the kind of organization where there was room for advancement. He said that if I was patient and hard working, there was a chance to advance within the organization. Shortly after being appointed CEO of Porter-Starke, I wrote Lee a letter and told him that he was right. He was really happy about that because he was the one who originally hired me.

What was your first interaction with Valparaiso as a community.

Well, I first became involved with the Valpo community when I was a kid. My father purchased some farmland in Valpo, and that was probably in the mid 60's. We would be frequent visitors of the city and of the fair.

What would you say is your & Porter-Starke's mission?

The mission at Porter-Starke is to improve the quality of life within our communities. I realize that may be a very broad statement, and doesn't mention the words "mental health" or "behavioral health care", which are our main and primary focus. We recognize that an individual's quality of life depends on much more than just the areas of behavioral health, mental health, or addictions. There are other areas to improve quality of life, such as employment, connection with family members, connection with the community, a spiritual aspect of life, and education. So, when we work with the clients and the community, we want to look at, "how can we improve their overall quality of life," in addition to the very specific problem area that they might be dealing with at that very moment.

If you had to give a summary of the range of services that Porter-Starke Offers, from youth to adults, to seniors, and the types of individuals and challenges that they face, how you describe that?

One question that we get asked a lot is, "What type of services does Porter-Starke Provide, and what are the range of services that we provide?" Well there is a long answer and an short answer to that, and Porter Stark had over 60 programs related to mental illness, addiction, and prevention.

Programs and Services

Business/Wellness Services

Beyond Boundaries Corporate Development & the Employee Assistance Program were created to help people effectively work, live, play and learn together. Through interactive workshops, retreats and programs, we help people develop stronger relationships within their organization.

Chemical Dependency & Addictions

The Chemical Dependency & Addictions Program provides the necessary services to begin the recovery process and help individuals and families lead sober, healthy and productive lifestyles.

Children's Services

Porter-Starke Services offers a broad continuum of services to meet the needs of both children and their families. Ranging from outpatient case management to day treatment programs, Porter-Starke's Children's Programs will meet your child's needs.

Community Support Services

This division serves clients with the challenge of living with a long-term mental illness. With a continuum of care that reaches from residential care to employment services, Porter-Starke Services works with each person to build an independent care plan to best fit their unique needs. Every client has a case manager to assist them through the process and to be an advocate and to lend support, as well as the resources of a whole treatment team including doctors, nurses and program specialists.

Counseling Services

Porter-Starke Services offers individual, couples, group and family counseling services designed to address a wide range of issues that affect our community. The dedicated professionals we have on staff understand the challenges that can affect children, adolescents, adults and families.

Inpatient Care Center

The Inpatient Care Center provides acute psychiatric and therapeutic care in a secured setting for adults experiencing a mental, emotional or behavioral episode or crisis.

Psychiatric Associates

Our team of outpatient psychiatrists provide complete diagnostic and clinical analysis of a person's condition, prescribe and manage medications, and coordinate with outpatient therapy.

Recovery Center/Methadone Treatment

The Recovery Center provides methadone treatment and counseling services under the guidance and supervision of its medical director, a board certified physician credentialed and experienced in methadone treatment.

Support Groups

Porter-Starke Services offers a wide variety of support groups.

Other Locations