Education

• Master of Education in Counseling                                                                                                 August 2002

• Crisis Intervention Stress Management (CISM)                                                                            November 2001

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology                                                                                December 1998

• Associate of Arts Degree                                                                                                                  May 1996

Clinical Experience

Private Practice                                                                                                                  January 2006 to Present

Case Counselor, The Women’s Home                                                                                         August 2004 to 2005

• Work with a multidisciplinary team,
• Coordinate orientation for new residents each week,
• Direct and assist approximately thirty new residents with setting up their individual recovery plans, and working with them daily in order to successfully work them through,
• Attend weekly staff meetings and provide client’s psychosocial and program progress to staff,
• Coordinate rehabilitation at TWH with clients’ outside appointments; accompany them to appointments when indicated,
• Counsel clients regarding goal setting, problem solving,
• Co-developed and implemented women’s empowerment weekend,
• Set up crisis intervention instruction utilizing community resources.

Therapist, The Women’s Home                                                                                              September 2002 to 2005

• Provide individual therapy applying grief, trauma/crisis, psychodynamic, cognitive/behavioral, psychosocial, and mind/body theories,
• Work with a multidisciplinary team,
• Observe process groups, and attend and participate in weekly group supervision,
• Attend weekly staff meetings and provide psychosocial assessment as needed,
• Conduct seminars/classes on relationships, stress management.

Therapist Intern, The Women’s Home                                                                             January 2002 to August 2002

• Provide individual therapy applying psychodynamic, cognitive/behavioral, psychosocial, and mind/body theories,
• Facilitate a weekly goal group,
• Work with a multidisciplinary team,
• Coordinate treatment/recovery programs for residents as a case manager,
• Observe process groups, and attend and participate in weekly group supervision,
• Attend weekly staff meetings and provide psychosocial assessment as needed,
• Attend Grand Rounds/Lecture Series at Baylor College of Medicine.

Group Facilitator, Bo’s Place                                                                                                September 2001 to 2005

• Facilitate grief support group for parents who have experienced the death of a child or spouse,
• Facilitate a group of adult family members who have experience the recent death of another family member as a result of trauma such as homicide, suicide, or another type of sudden death,
• Facilitate a group of mothers each of whom has experienced the death of a child.

Research

Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas                                                                       May 1998 to December 1998

• Research grant:  “Research and Training Center for Community Reintegration for People with Spinal Cord Injuries”; Diana Rintala, Ph.D.
• Research Assistant: Interview long-term participants in the study with regard to quality of life issues of people with spinal cord injuries, and updating a database with results.

University of Texas Mental Sciences Institute, Houston, Texas

• Research Grant;  “Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Elderly Adults: 

• Research Assistant:  Duties included checking, scoring, and recording material gathered from study participants; assisting in revision of homework and agenda forms used in group sessions; entering data into database; assisting in recruiting presentations; training new research assistants; and carrying out extensive library research involved in the study.

Volunteer Activities

Grief Group, Grace Presbyterian Church                                                                                        May 2006 to Present

Crisis Intervention Counselor, Crisis Intervention Hotline                                                    March 1998 to August 1999

• Provide counseling to people of all ages experiencing problems varying widely in degree of severity.
• Provide crisis intervention to people experiencing suicide ideation.

• Established and led support group for non-traditional female students who faced unusual challenges upon their return to higher education.

CAnCare of Houston                                                                                                        November 1993 to July 1996

• Act as a counselor/friend to families of cancer survivors/patients.

Additional Skills

• EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Restructuring – a short-term therapy for many disorders, including PTSD and trauma.
• Mentor Coaching.  This is not psychotherapy.  It is for proactive people who need assistance in finding and using strategies in order to move ahead.
• Advanced Bereavement Facilitator – Working individually and/or in groups with those who are grieving a significant loss.

References are provided upon request.