Unit supervisor, Women's Recovery Center in Center City, MN

Hazelden has been a pioneer and leader in providing treatment for women addicted to alcohol and other drugs since it opened its first women-only center, Dia Linn, in 1956 in White Bear Lake, Minn.  Under the direction of Daniel Anderson, Dia Linn served as the laboratory for the Minnesota Model experiment. By the mid-1960s, psychologists, full-time chaplains, family services, and a comprehensive medical unit became part of the treatment regimen. In 1966, female patients were moved to Center City and the increase in demand for treatment for women has grown ever since.

Hermes has been employed in the addiction field since 1988 and has worked with women seeking recovery at Hazelden since 1995. She was a co-leader of a comprehensive effort in 2005 and 2006 that assessed clinical services for women and made vast improvements and enhancements to care. At Hazelden, she is a regular speaker at Bigelow Auditorium and a presenter on "Women & Addiction" at Hazelden’s Graduate School of Addiction Studies.  She is the author of "Queen Baby," a pamphlet that addresses the special issues of women in recovery, and "Facilitators Guide for Assertiveness Training," both published by Hazelden.

She has a master's degree in Counseling and is a certified instructor of non-violent physical crisis intervention.

Her comments on women and addiction have recently appeared in The Oprah Magazine, Parent's Magazine and she has been a guest on talk radio programs.