SIWASH owner and director, Jeff Painter (Clatsop Tribe), started the company as a private counseling practice for adolescents, adults, and their families in 1986. Within the first few months of starting his practice, Elders and Native community members began calling him to get help for their relatives and friends. Jeff was well known within the Native community as a ceremonial singer and apprentice to a healer. In order to meet their needs, he would bring in Traditional Elders & Healers to perform ceremony for the clients and then he would meet with them between healing sessions to support their recovery process.
     All services were (and continue to be) provided without question at no charge, as Jeff's Elders requested.

     In 1994, SIWASH began receiving invitations from county and state agencies, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW-Oregon chapter), the Addictions Counselor Certification Board of Oregon (ACCBO), the Oregon Dept. of Human Services - Office of Mental Health & Addiction Services, the Mental Health Resource & Education Network (MHREN), the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Providers Director's Association of Oregon (ADAPDAO), the Family Addictions Community Team (FACT), the Southern Oregon Training Consortium (SOTC), the Southern Oregon Drug Alliance (SODA), Parole & Probation offices, jails & prisons, regional conferences, and treatment providers to train their staff in our Philosophy & Methods.

     Requests from these and many other organizations for current and effective resources/instruction led us to develop this resource and training venue.