Welcome to ARISE Mentor’s, LLP. We are a Medicaid agency that provides services to adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We are located in Oregon and currently service individuals in the Portland Metro Area, but certified to provide supports throughout all of  Oregon.  We were founded in 2016 by Drew Stinson and Rex Goode, who have a combined 40+ years experience working with individuals who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 2022, we hired an agency manager, Kathleen Garrett, who has experience in residential management and working with children. Between Rex, Drew and Kathleen, there is over 70 combined years of dedicated service and experience between them.

Our direct support professionals come from a variety of backgrounds and experience. They all share a passion and enthusiasm for the work that we do. See some of our employee profiles linked to on this website.

You can find out a lot about our philosophy for how we work with individuals by visiting the other articles on this website. We provide training in influential interviewing in addition to the required trainings in mandatory abuse reporting and first aid.

All members of our team maintain a workload with individuals so that everyone up to the owners of the agency are in touch with what it is like to work in the trenches with our supported individuals.

Copyright 2025, Inner Vessel Productions.

Adults In-home supports

​We offer services to individuals who live in their own home or with family or friends.

• ​Services offered have specific eligibility standards and are accessed through the local Community Developmental Disabilities Program (CDDP) or Support Services Brokerage​.
  An Individual Support Plan is established with each adult to identify supports provided based upon their health and safety needs, interests, choices and goals. Each plan uses a person-centered planning process.
• It’s also important to understand and learn about supported decision-making as a part of this process and how it allows a person with a disability to make choices about their life.
• ​Supports are provided through a CDDPor Support Services Brokerage to eligible adults living in their own or their ​family’s home to help them remain in their home and be engaged in the community.
• A person is assisted to create an Ind​ividual Support Plan​ to arrange for needed supports for things like personal care, shopping, meal preparation and more.

Children In-home supports

We offer supports to children and families ranging from in-home family support.

• Services offered have specific eligibility standards and are usually accessed through the local Community Developmental Disabilities Programs (CDDPs)​​.
• An Individual Support Plan is established with each child and their family to identify supports provided based on their health and safety needs, interests, choices and goals. Each plan uses a person-centered planning process.​​
• For youth transitioning to adult services, it’s also important to understand and learn more about supported decision-making and how it allows a person with a disability to make choices about their life.

Copyright 2025, Inner Vessel Productions.

Developmental disability

• ​​Developmental Disability (DD) is a severe mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairments
• Begins before an individual is 22 years of age or 18 years of age for an intellectual disability;
• Begins in and directly affects the brain and has continued, or is expected to continue, indefinitely;
• Causes significant impairment of daily living skills (adaptive behavior) such as, but not limited to, communicating, grooming, dressing, safety and social skills.
• Other developmental disabilities include autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, or other neurological disabling conditions.

See the full definition of Developmental Disability in OAR 411-320-0020.

Intellectual disability

• ​Intellectual Disability (ID) means significantly sub-average intellectual functioning with an intelligence quotient (IQ) of 70 and under as measured by a qualified professional, along with a lack of daily living skills (adaptive behavior) such as, but not limited to, communicating, grooming, dressing, safety and social skills, that show up prior to 18 years of age.
• Individuals with IQ’s of 71-75 may be considered to have an intellectual disability if there is also significant impairment in adaptive behavior as diagnosed by a licensed clinical or school psychologist.

• See the full definition of Intellectual Disability in OAR 411-320-0020.

Copyright 2025, Inner Vessel Productions.

In todays fast paced world of “Instant Gratification” and “My Needs Must Be Met”, so many people lose out on having meaningful relationships in their lives. We believe that everyone has the ability to become leaders, even if it only for themselves in their own lives.

A couple years ago, myself and Rex Goode, my business partner, best friend and one of the Co-directors of ARISE Mentors, started seeing that so many people struggled with the basic things that allowed each of us to have a simple & meaningful conversation with someone, who was not “Just Like Us”. Each time Rex and I had one of these conversations, he would point out various things he was noticing. Over time, I started writing down the various things he noticed and brought up.

From all those conversations, I feel Rex identified the main, core issues with people being able to have meaningful conversations and relationships. In turn, we came up with what we believe is among the most important things, that help us develop better communication skills. This helps us become better listeners, communicators, friends and most of all, better leaders.  It helps us develop vital ways to have an healthy relationship with everyone in our lives. This is extremely important for those who work as support professionals for those who experience various challenges that affect their ability to live independently without assistance.  For professionals working with individuals who experience I/DD challenges, it can make all the difference in developing great, healthy connections, with those individuals. Listed below is what we refer to as “Rex’s 10 Commandments of Leadership”.

1. Thou Shalt Listen

For whatever reason, too many of us are so eager to make sure “WE” are heard and understood, we forget to listen to what others need, want and feel. Unfortunately, listening is a lost skill for many people today. Someone told me once that we have two ears and one mouth, we should always be focused on listening at least twice as much as talking. Listening is more than just hearing words. Listening is connecting to the person who is talking. Regardless if you agree with what is being said, you are listening to that person, trying to understand what they are trying to say. Listening to their emotion, their feelings and what they are trying to express. It means being engaged. It means you care.

So what if you do not agree with them or maybe even be interested in the topic they are talking about? You still listen! Especially when it comes to the individuals we provide services for. It is both respectful and honestly, what we are all getting paid to do. Also, by listening, we are developing a relationship with that individual. We cannot truly understand the needs of the people we are working with, if we do not listen to what they are saying.

2. Thou Shalt Be Flexible

Being able to be flexible in our mind and emotions is vital to relationships. If we are rigid in our thinking, we will never be able to develop or maintain a meaningful relationship with anyone. We expect others to be flexible and compromise with what they want and need, so we need to do the same. Walking a mile in someone else’s shoe’s is more than a saying. Empathy is critical in developing and maintaining relationships.

3. Thou Shalt Deal In the “Here & Now”    (Or as close to it as possible)

Taking care of problems and issues as they come up makes life much simpler. Waiting almost always makes things worse. How many of us have had someone say something that is offensive or hurtful. We then let it “Stew” in our minds and hearts for days, weeks or longer. When we do this, it usually ends in disaster. Our “Stewing” about it, makes a mountain out of a mole hill. When we deal with issues as close to the time they come up, we find that we might have misunderstood someone in what they said or they may have not meant it the way it came out. If you wait several days, a week or more, that person who said “That Thing” might not even remember what they said. If you bring it up right away, it will be fresh in everyone’s mind.

We also need to deal with it with the right person. Talking directly to the source closest to solving issues is paramount to solving problems. If you tell a friend about an incident with a family member, will the friend be able to help solve the problem right then? Probably not. Making sure you deal with the “Here & Now” with the right person, is extremely important in solving issues as they arise.

As far as our agency, our top leadership does not understand the needs of every single person we provide services for. That is why we have Lead DSP’s who are over individuals, not employees. When issues arise, our Leads are the best person to deal directly with the issues of individuals we serve.

4. Thou Shalt Be Direct 

Too often we are so concerned about “Offending” someone, that we “Beat Around the Bush” so to say, when it comes to saying what we want or need. Instead, we can learn to be “Direct” when talking to people. When we try to “Candy Coat” things, we often make it worse. “Direct With Respect” is a better way to identify issues and communicate appropriately with people. We are showing someone respect when we are (Respectfully) direct with what we are saying.

5. Thou Shalt Presume Everyone has GOOD Intentions

Very few people wake up in the morning and think, “Hey, who’s day can I ruin” or “Who can I make miserable today”. Most people let their mouths run faster than their brains and we say things that are not quite what we were trying to say. Other people just say things differently. I remember when I first started working with an individual in the capacity as a DSP (Direct Support Professional), we were on the golf course. I just hit a beautiful drive. It had a carry of about 240 yards and total distance was about 260-270 yards (That does NOT happen very often-trust me).  He looked at me and said, “Hey Drew, that’s pretty good for you.” I thought, man that was pretty rude, but didn’t say anything. The more I worked with this individual, it reminded me of Yoda, from Star Wars, “The greatest teacher, failure is”. What my guys was trying to say was, “Hey Drew, that was a great shot. Way to go”.  He wasn’t belittling me, he was complimenting me.

6. Thou Canst NOT Read Minds-Always ask

How many times have we asked someone if they wanted to do one particular thing and they said no. Ask them 9 times and they say “No”. We eventually get to the point that we just know, they will say “No” if we ask, so we stop asking. Maybe they would have said yes finally on the 10^th time.

Sometimes people will say something that we “Interpret” as being one thing, when they meant something else altogether. If someone says something that seems rude or condescending, ask them what they meant. Maybe, just maybe, they said it wrong, or we just misunderstood. Maybe they just talk like “Yoda”.

7. Thou Shalt NOT be Defensive!

Commandments 5 & 6 go hand in hand with number 7. When we become defensive about what people say to us, this does nothing but escalate situations from potentially nothing to possibly very bad. In my own life, when I have been defensive, it usually has been related to how I feel about my own insecurities. Being defensive is something that usually takes an problem and blows it up into something that can lead to hurtful things being said between people. Things that may take a very long time to emotionally heal from. Most people do not “Try” to offend or hurt us. Being defensive has never helped solve issues or problems.

8. Thou Shalt NOT work harder than your client

This commandment can be reworded to about anything when working with individuals we have in our lives. I do not know of any relationship that will last long term when one person is doing all the work. There is almost always going to be short time frames where one person might be pulling 70% and the other person 30% for a day or two or possibly even a week. The next day or week it may reverse to be 30% and 70%. Relationships go back and forth from 30/70 to 50/50 to 70/30 often. That is how things happen and what relationships are for. To help support one another and take up the extra slack for short periods of time. We always want to shoot for 50/50 as far as effort, but life is challenging. However, “No Relationship” will ever last in a healthy way if it is always 60/40, 70/30. If only one person is putting effort into a relationship, that is not a healthy relationship. It is not sustainable.

With regards to our agency and the individuals we work with, when we work harder than our “Clients”, we create dependency instead of promoting “Independence”. We cannot work harder than the clientele we serve, or we are taking away from their ability to be successful in their own lives.

9. Thou Shalt NOT be Territorial

This commandment is definitely specific to our agency and the individual we serve. All individuals are clientele of ARISE Mentors. An employee might be assigned to work with say “Jimmy”, but that does not mean that Jimmy is that employees client. When we become territorial about the people we work with as DSP’s, we forget that those individuals are in charge of their own lives. We are just helpers, guides, mentors and teachers. The things we do with the individuals we work with, is based on their needs. Those individuals benefit from multiple different people working with them and understanding all the different ways to look at how to resolve issues and deal with challenges.

I guess the same thing could be said about the people we have relationships with in our own lives. If we become territorial about “Time” or even “Belongings”, we may lose out on what is most important, the people in our lives that we truly care about.

10. Thou Shalt Communicate

This may seem obvious, that we must communicate in order to have meaningful relationships or to be good leaders, but communication is a lost skill almost as much as listening and common sense. Communication is about responding in a timely manner to people who are seeking information from us. If we reached out to someone asking a question, through any form of messaging (email, text, etc) or called and left a voicemail, but they just blew it off for a day or two, we would probably be a bit irritated. What is we needed an answer ASAP for an urgent, matter and it cost us or possibly even them, something extremely important, possibly their job or even someone’s way of life, even their life. Now turn it around and it was us blowing someone off and not responding to someone who reached out to us. What could it possible cost us. What would we be losing out on? Good, healthy communication is vital to any healthy relationship and is the backbone of great leadership.

Copyright 2025, Inner Vessel Productions.

A young happy man with Down syndrome with his mentoring friend celebrating success indoors at school.

So many people have asked me just what a direct support professional (DSP) does and why is it so important. Why spend millions in tax dollars to just help people play and go to movies. Well, if that is what people really think, they have no idea what a DSP really does. At ARISE Mentors, we cannot imagine agencies just helping people play or goof around. Helping individuals gain, or maintain the skills needed to be “In-dependent” instead being dependent, is vital for individuals experiencing I/DD challenges.

Under the “Community Living” standard for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), the main purpose of providing supports is to “..permit individuals to live independently in a community-based setting.” [1]  In other words, to help them develop and maintain the skills necessary to be “Independent” members “Of” the community, instead of “Dependent” individuals “ON” the community.

As DSP’s, we help individuals navigate life in a manner that benefits them and the community they live in. The 14^th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America makes very clear the rights of every citizen, either born here or “Naturalized”, meaning, they became a citizen if they were not born here, shall not be infringed upon. Very specifically, “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” [2] Furthermore, under the Oregon’s “Office of Developmental Disabilities Services” (ODDS) “Community Living” program is based on self-directed supports, or “Supported Decision-Making” as a part of this process and how it allows a person with a disability to make choices about their life.” There are multiple resources and support tools that help everyone understand better, just what this really means for individuals with I/DD challenges and those who support them. [3]

One of the hardest things we can do when assisting individuals with I/DD challenges, is watch them make mistakes. Our job is to not to save individuals from making mistakes, but teaching them how to understand potential consequences to decisions they make. Good decisions equal good consequences & bad decisions equal bad consequences in most all cases.

DSP’s are first and foremost teachers. Being a good teacher means you must first must be a REALLY good listener. If you do not know what an individual knows and what they still need to learn or receive help with, one will never be able to teach the skills needed to help individuals become “In-dependent”.

Secondly, DSP’s are mentors. We work hand in hand with individuals, modeling appropriate behavior, communication, healthy living, community socialization and all other things people need to know and understand to live within a community, instead of being a drain on the community. We teach best when we model behaviors and everything else we do in an appropriate manner.

The third thing we do as a DSP’s, is advocate for individuals who do not know how to advocate for themselves. Going to a doctor can be very confusing for anyone. For someone who experiences I/DD challenges, it can be overwhelming. Through modeling appropriate ways to communicate with doctors, other professionals, disrespectful or combative members of the community, we are advocating for individuals who have not yet learned the skills necessary to advocate for themselves.

How do we best do that as DSP’s? Well, anyway that makes sense for the people we work with. Playing various types of card or board games. Getting together in groups to hike, bowl, watch a movie, the possibilities are endless. The thing we need to remember is this; the card game, board game, bowling match, or whatever we are doing, is ONLY a “Tool” to help us teach the skills and goals, I/DD individuals are seeking to learn. If we become focused on the game or match itself, “Winning the Game”, we have already LOST!! More importantly, so has the individual we are working with.

I have had conversations with DSP’s/PSW’s that have said, they want to make sure they are trying to win at whatever they are doing, just so they can teach someone about losing gracefully. For someone who thinks that way, they have completely missed the whole purpose of being a DSP. If you are playing a game, bowling, or whatever it is you are doing, this ishould only be a “Tool” to help I/DD individuals learn appropriate skills. Winning should only be a byproduct of the situation itself, not the focus. So should we “Let” people “Win” at something so they don’t get mad, to help them feel better about themselves? No! But if our main purpose of playing a card/board game, going bowling, golfing, playing kickball, etc, is to “Win” at what we are doing with the individuals, that is wrong. Bottom line, if it takes more focus (At Any Time) to do the activity, then to focus on your client and what they are saying or what their needs are, don’t use that activity as a tool. If this seems too harsh or unfair, we really should look for another line of work.

Our job as a DSP is to help individuals develop skills necessary to be independent. The kind of relationships we can build with those we work with using all the various fun activities as a “Tool”, can be priceless. Developing trust is paramount to developing healthy relationships. If we are focused on winning at things, we will never build the trust that is needed to have healthy relationships. If the individuals we serve trust us, they will listen to us. They will allow us to help them become the best version of themselves. Without trust, this will never be accomplished. That means it is us, to start the process of building that trust. If we mess this up by doing it wrong, it is the DSP that has failed, not the individuals we serve.

[1] OAR 411-450-0010 (1)

[2] Constitution of the United States of America, Section 1

[3] https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/supported-decision-making/Pages/default.aspx

Copyright 2025, Inner Vessel Productions.

Al Capone 1930

The old saying goes, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Nobody quite knows who first uttered or wrote it. It’s at least as old as the first half of the 19th century. There is much abou it that is true. There is even more about it that I don’t like. If you were to read all of the quotes about best intentions by all of the famous people who have spoken about them, you’d have a pretty dismal view of mankind. In short, good intentions have a bad rap.

Speaking of quotes about good intentions, notorious gangster of the Prohibition era, Al Capone, was quoted as saying, “I have spent the best years of my life giving people the lighter pleasures, helping them have a good time, and all I get is abuse, the existence of a hunted man (from How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, 1936). (more…)

Copyright 2025, Inner Vessel Productions.

Photo by Mwesigwa Joel on Unsplash

I recently watched one of my favorite films, based on a true story and an autobiographical novel of the same title. The film was, To Sir, With Love. It was the story of a man who had studied to be an engineer and wanted to work in a communications plant, but was having trouble finding a position. The necessity of needing to earn a living lead him to accept a position in a London school in a rough neighborhood, but he kept seeking a job in his chosen field.

He was assigned to teach what would be, in American schools, the senior class. The students were about to enter adulthood with few prospects, most of them not sure why they even needed an education. As a result, they acted out their despair by baiting their teachers.

Enter Mr. Thackery, never having had a teaching position before. He paused on his way to see the principal to look into his classroom and began his mental assessment of the task ahead of him. He saw teenagers sitting on desks, papers flying, smoking, and general chaos.

His negative impression of his students was further aided by a jaded teacher who had nothing good to say about the class and the students. Some teachers tried to encourage him, but there was not much they could say that was positive. As he began trying to teach it was quickly obvious that the youths were going to live up to their reputations and even beyond that. (more…)

Copyright 2025, Inner Vessel Productions.

Gilt bronze equestrian sculpture of Joan of Arc by Emmanuel Frémiet in Coe Circle (at NE 39th & Glisan) in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, U.S.A

One of my favorite legends about Joan of Arc was when she told her generals that she was going to scale the wall of a certain city to take it back from the English. One general said, “No one will follow you over that wall.”

She replied, “I won’t be looking back to see if anyone is following.”

One of the biggest misconceptions about self-directed supports is that we are supposed to just follow along with everything a customer wants to do and that a customer who is resistant to change should not be influenced to change. While it is true that our customers choose the supports they want and how they are delivered, we have a responsibility to them and to those government entities that fund our work to use those funds appropriately. (more…)

Copyright 2025, Inner Vessel Productions.

My morning routine consists of waking up at 3:40 AM and heading to the gym. I take with me my cell phone and a large Bluetooth headset. After swimming, I take my headset out of my gym bag and set it on the bench next to me. After getting dressed, I hang it from my shirt collar and leave.

A couple of weeks ago, I did this routine, but instead of hanging the headset from my shirt collar, I absentmindedly left it on the bench. When I got to work and looked for it, I realized my mistake, except that I thought I left it at the snack bar where I got a protein shake for the trip to work. The worker looked for it on the counter and couldn’t find it. She suggested I call back later and ask the front counter people if it had been turned in as lost-and-found.

That’s what I did. I started out by asking if a Bluetooth headset had been turned in. While I was trying to describe my headset, the person on the other end of the phone was talking about walking over to the lost-and-found shelves. He said he didn’t see it. I tried again to tell him that it was not the little ear-bud kind of Bluetooth. It was big enough to fit over my head with a microphone that extends. I was pretty sure he hadn’t heard me say that part and had told me to call back later and again over the weekend. I called back later that day and then twice on the weekend. Each time, the person answering the phone told me they didn’t see it and it seemed to me that they were tuning me out every time I tried to tell them it was going to be big and obvious with a camouflage coloring.

That next Monday morning, I asked the early morning person at the counter to look for it. She opened up the drawer and there it was. (more…)

Copyright 2025, Inner Vessel Productions.

Original Publishing Date – June 5, 2018

Today is an important milestone for our company. It isn’t measured in anniversaries, dollars, or the size of our company. It represents why we love doing what we’re doing, and unfortunately, for confidentiality’s sake, I can’t give you details. I’ll refer to our customer as Paul, though that is not his real name. As with all of our customers, Paul has a developmental disability that means that he requires support in various areas of his life and we provide that support.

I first met Paul many years ago as an independent contractor, doing this work. At the time, ARISE Mentors did not exist. My dear friend, Drew Stinson, and I were both in this field, and we were referred to as skills trainers. Our job was to assist our customers learn how to do things like housekeeping, laundry, money management, cooking, nutrition, safety, social skills, communication, accessing medical care, using community resources, and participating in community activities.

Some of you who do not have disabilities may take doing these things for granted. Without the support we provide, many of our customers would sit alone in their homes, if they have homes, or be out in the community and encountering problems they are not equipt to manage alone. Many lack the communication skills to express their needs or understand the advice they are given. Many are targets for people who would take their money, dignity, and freedom. (more…)

Copyright 2025, Inner Vessel Productions.

We hire personal support workers for adults with developmental disabilities who are looking to learn skills and reach new levels of independence. Days with clients are filled with learning, support, and fun. If you are looking for an opportunity to make a difference in the life of some of the greatest people in the world, read on. (more…)

Copyright 2025, Inner Vessel Productions.