Female Aggression, Family Systems, Addictions Organizational Change and Development University of Denver, Denver, Colorado Children, Youth and Families, and Drug/Alcohol, 1992
Westminster College of Salt Lake City, Utah Psychology – Family and Youth Services, 1989
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
1995 – 2004
1993 – 2004
1992 – 1994
1994 – 1995
Part-time Faculty, Department of Human Services, Metropolitan State College of Denver
Certified Trainer, Department of Health and Human Services, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Department Colorado Field Instructor to Human Services Students, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Department of Human Services Field Instructor to Master’s Level Social Work Student, University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work
COURSES TAUGHT
Alcohol Drug Abuse Division • Client Record Management • Group Counseling • Resistive Client • Adventure Based Counseling • Counseling the Juvenile Offender • Multicultural Issues in Treatment • Basic Counseling Skills • Multifamily Groups with Families • Basic Counseling Skills
Metropolitan State College • Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll • Applied Counseling/Advanced Counseling Skills • Family and Addictions • Addictive Behaviors • Family Systems • Basic Counseling Skills • Client Records Management • Female juvenile delinquency
LICENSES AND MEMBERSHIPS, PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
2009 - Present
1994 - Present
1995 – Present
1994 – Present
1996 – Present
1992 – Present
1995 – 2004
2003 – Present
2008 - Present
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, State of California
License Number 25842
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, State of Colorado License Number 991503
Certified Addiction Counselor III; Senior Counselor Certification Number 3700
National Certified Addiction Counselor; Master Addiction Counselor Certification Number 011144
National Master Addiction Counselor: NAADAC Certification Number: 501365
National Association of Social Workers
Metropolitan State College – Center for High Risk Youth Studies Advisory Committee
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing International Association and Level II Practitioner
Certified EMDR Therapist
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Comprehensive Human Services Incorporated President 1996 – Present
Conceptualization, planning and implementation of an “S” Corporation, CHSInc
Collaboration with community agencies to provide contract program planning, staff training, direct service delivery and technical assistance
Originator/Director of Family Reunification Project, Division of Youth Corrections
Provide Clinical Supervision to community agencies and DYC employees
Provide individual family counseling to incarcerated youth and their families
Write curriculum and develop mission and principle for the DYC facilities and employees
Metropolitan State College of Denver Part-Time Faculty in the Department of Human Services 1995 – Present
Serve as an instructor to undergraduate human services students
Serve as field instructor to undergraduate human services students
Serve as advisory member to the Center for High Risk Youth Studies Center
Partners Empowering Adolescents in Redirecting Their Lives (PEARL) Project Family Treatment Specialist 1993 – 1996
Conceptualization, planning and implementation of family treatment programs for incarcerated youth and their families including individual and multifamily treatment groups, agency based and in the community.
Provide clinical supervision to graduate level social work students in the area of adolescent and family therapy
Chair several small working committees in the areas of aftercare planning, staff development and training
Facilitate therapy groups with 8-10 youth with substance use issues
Provide training in the areas of peacemaking, family therapy, alcohol and other drug use issues and the stages of change model
Deliver training and technical assistance to Teen Quest (female adolescent treatment program) in attempts to replicate the model of PEARL
National Multicultural Associates, Denver, Colorado Treatment Director 1994 – 1996
Development and implementation of ATOD treatment programming and delivery of services to incarcerated youth and their families
Provide family treatment therapy and case management to youth and their families
Administrative services on federally funded grant including supervision, program development, chairperson for continuing care/intensive aftercare committee
Provide training and consultation services in the areas of diversity/
multicultural responsiveness, peacemaking, gang culture and youth, training of various techniques of organization program planning
Treatment Alternative to Street Crimes (T.A.S.C.), New Pride Pre-Trial Release – Denver Juvenile Justice Integrated T.A.S.C. Project, Denver, Colorado T.A.S.C. Specialist/Case Manager 1993 – 1994
Develop and manage youth programs for home, school and community services
Implement alcohol and other drug assessments and diagnostics, utilizing Substance Use Survey (SUS) and Adolescent Self-Assessment Profile (ASAP) instrumentation
Coordinate case management information and serve as liaison with youth families, probation officers, treatment agencies and myriad ancillary services providers
Prepare and present in-court sentencing and assessment summary information and drug/alcohol treatment progress reports
Identify ancillary services needs, establish referral linkages and monitor use of services
Manage client data regarding specific evaluation and reporting elements
Participate in client case staffings, ensuring maximum use of fellow staff expertise in individualized services plan development and monitoring
Conducted diagnostics and assessments to determine nature or problem and appropriate level of care
Interviewed clients and families to prepare treatment plan and formulation of treatment goals
Served as intern to Division of Youth Services, planning and developing new treatment programs for boys
Provided individual family therapy and counseling
Excelsior youth Center, Aurora, Colorado Group Living Counselor 1990 – 1992
Taught basic living skills, including positive socialization
Delivered case management services – assessing clients, developing treatment plans, drafting progress evaluation, generating resource referrals, coordinating case documentation, serving in liaison with social services and judicial agencies
Implemented resident disciplinary action and charted behavioral and attitudinal progress
Developed prevention and intervention components within existing program framework
Created parenting program components for the agency
Previously services as Primary Therapist Intern
Conducted weekly alcohol and other drug abuse group therapy
Private Practice 1993 – Present Specializing in adolescents, families and addictive behaviors
Utilize frameworks from cognitive behavioral, structural, systemic and Rational Emotive therapy with adolescents, families and individuals involved in addictive behaviors and/or the justice system
Training with schools, agencies and other professional human service agencies
Individual counseling with adults, adolescents and families
Counseling and Coaching with ADHD/ADD diagnosed youth and adults
Clinical Supervision with Master’s level professionals seeking state licensure
Contract therapist for Senate Bill 94 – serving youth and families
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTSHIPS
Adams County Five Star School – Diversity in the Schools Initiative, Office of the Superintendent of Schools
Adolescent Counseling Exchange – Clinical supervision of certified addictions counselors, training, program development and technical assistance
Adoptees In Search – The Stages of Searching, and The Healing Power of “The Search” for adoptees and birth parents
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division, Colorado Department of Health – Women’s Task Force on Substance Abuse
Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Mobile, Alabama - Network Aftercare System and the GROWTH program
EXCEL Program, Yuma Arizona - Coaching and clinical skills development with co-occurring disordered clientele
Los Angeles County Office of Education – Mujeres y Hombres Nobles, Monterey Park, California
National Multicultural Associates, Inc. – Multiculturalisim and Special Needs Initiative
National Drug Court - Plenary speaker on Family engagement with juvenile offenders
Pueblo Youth Services Bureau – Program development with youth and families, training and technical assistance, development of family program for incarcerated juvenile females and their families, provided training and clinical supervision
Denver Area Youth Services – Program development with youth and families, training and technical assistance; development of family program for incarcerated juvenile females and their families; provided training and clinical supervision
Division of Youth Corrections- Colorado - Served as a core group member of the Girls Planning Committee instrumental in the conceptualization, design, program development and contractor selection to provide a “state of the art” female juvenile offender program. Provided “Gender Specific Training at DYC all-team 2000.
Fresh Start Incorporated – Program development in the area of Positive Peer Culture, Family Friendly Environment and working with juvenile’s involved in the justice system and their families
Hands Across Cultures – Espanola, New Mexico- Program development with youth and families, training and technical assistance; development of family program for incarcerated juvenile females and their families; provided training and clinical supervision. National Institute of Corrections - Longmont, Colorado- Annual Guest Speaker for the Intensive Aftercare Program Training; Topical areas include engaging and working with families and gender specific issues with male and female offenders.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention - Intensive Aftercare Program Consultant; Provide training and technical assistance related to juvenile offenders and their families, alcohol and other drug use and abuse, and gender specific approaches when using the IAP model; authoring topical modules in the IAP manual in substance use and abuse and female specific treatment.
Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice - National Council of Juvenile and Family Drug Courts; Plenary Speaker, topical area; Levels of engagement of families in drug treatment. Youth Track – Denver/Grand Junction Colorado- Provided certified addictions training for counselors in the areas of basic counseling, client records management, group counseling, cultural diversity and family counseling.
DOCTORAL STUDY
Bridging the gap between Education and Social Work to improve overall outcomes for children youth and families.
Gender Specific education and treatment - effective approaches to address the unique needs of males and females
Aggression in children and youth- strategies to address the similarities and differences
Training and strategy development to increase cross-learning and training in education and social work
Gender Specific treatment for female and male juvenile offenders and the nature of aggression and delinquency
EVALUATION AND RESEARCH
In Progress - Designed, collected Pre-Post test over a 10 year period to assess the efficacy of multifamily treatment with juvenile offenders and their families
Researched literature pertaining to community development, services delivery and treatment options for literature reviews used in various proposals
Generated program goals, objectives, activities and milestones (GOAMS) for grant applications
Administered survey instrumentation and collected and compiled data for University research efforts
Provided clinical diagnostics and evaluations for client entry to substance abuse, eating disorders treatment
Involved in developing the Diversity Adjustment Scale (DAS), including: the creation of constructs and question formulation, factoring, training and administration of the instrument
Designed focus-group study conducted with female juvenile offenders involved in the Division of Youth Corrections
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Developed integrated services program for concept to implementation for youth transitioning into and out of incarceration
Established operating procedures and systems, created client data recording forms
Established program-to-community coordination practices, served as program liaison to ancillary services providers
Created delinquency prevention initiative for group living center
Assisted in conceptualization and development of effective parenting programs
Participated in female-specific initiatives for Colorado Women’s Task Force on Substance Abuse
Produced program goals, objectives, activities and milestones to guide service delivery for male and female juvenile offenders
Developed parenting skills, diversity, family treatment and case management programs for alcohol tobacco and other drug involved parents and youth in the criminal justice system
Planning and implementation of internship program with local college including development of curriculum, supervision model, and acting as liaison with school administrators and interns
Development of Continuing/Intensive Aftercare system for youth transitioning from incarceration back to the community, including services, sanctions, incentives and accountability structures
Involved in the development of federally funded grant project job descriptions and involved in hiring and training new staff
Designed, implemented and presented research findings in doctoral program in adolescent females experience in the juvenile justice system
Author of three curricula targeting juvenile offenders: Family Strengths: a multifamily group approach to working with youthful offenders and their families, The Family Resource Group: a twelve week program for youth who are disconnected from their families, The Good Grief Group: a twelve week program to assist youth in the grieving process and develop effective coping skills
Co-authored and contributed to the Intensive Juvenile Aftercare Reference Guide, Presented by the Juvenile Reintegration and Aftercare Center for OJJDP
TRAINING AND PUBLIC SPEAKING
Participated in specialized Hispanic/Latino prevention, intervention and treatment symposia of HART National; received intensive multicultural skills development training for youth services providers conducted by National Multicultural Associates; provide labeling simulation to develop awareness of racism and internalized issues arising for teachers, human service workers and executive personnel
Present information and skill building exercises for professionals working with gang involved youth – “Peacemaking and Thinking it Through” presentations to a variety of audiences
Present on individuals’ issues involved in the adoption triad
Completed “Working with Juvenile Sex Offenders” with Gail Ryan (Kempe Center)
Acquired specialized choice and consequence training from Dick Shaffer and “Motivational Interviewing/Counseling” skills with Michelle Packard
Approved addictions counselor trainer in the areas of basic counseling, client records management, resistive client, effective counseling approaches with juvenile offenders, family systems, genders specific interventions, adventure based therapy, multiculturalism and peacemaking
Training presentations to national audiences in:
Using the Intensive Aftercare Approach with youth and families
Female juvenile offending
Gender Specific Treatment approaches for females and males
Substance abuse treatment using motivational techniques
Engaging families in treatment with Juvenile offenders
A “thesaurus approach” for counselors and teachers working with youth
Creating “family friendly” environments, and working with families involved with the juvenile justice system
Facilitating Multifamily groups with female and male juvenile offenders
Intensive Aftercare Programming with juvenile and adult offenders using wrap-around services to enhance success in the community