The first 15 years of my career I was the Youth Counselor for the Town of Weston, MA where I counseled adolescents in a school setting. I loved working with this age group as they were coping with personal challenges while making sense of their past and envisioning their future.
The second half of my career I worked with our military service members and their families, working for 4 years at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii with active-duty service members. Then I spent the following 10 years counseling Combat Veterans and their families at the Vet Center in Keene, NH. I have tremendous respect and gratitude for our service members and their families for their sacrifices and willingness to put their lives on the line to defend us and our country.
I also worked as a part-time consultant for 15 years with the US Postal Service as a mediator (using Transformative Mediation) helping employees and management resolve discrimination complaints and improve their relationships.
Academic Background:
- Attended McGill University for 2.5 years – awarded the James B. McGill Scholarship for outstanding academic achievement in Psychology
- Brandeis University – B.A. Psychology 1985
- Simmons School of Social Work – MSW in Clinical Social Work 1989
- Boston University School of Social Work – Postgraduate Certificate for Advanced Clinical Diagnosis, Intervention and Treatment of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, one year course on advanced clinical work with substance abuse clients 1994
Small Sample of Trainings/Certification Courses Attended:
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: 2-day Intensive ACT Training
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Dr. Steven C. Hayes
- Janina Fischer’s Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Training Level 1 & 2: Working with the Neurobiological Legacy of Trauma/Treatment of Complex Trauma and Dissociative Disorders
- Polyvagal Informed Therapy Master Class w/Debb Dana: w/special guest Stephen Porges
- EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Program Basic Training Course developed by Francine Shapiro, PhD
- EMDR Level I Training with Roger Solomon, Ph.D.
- Evidence-Based Treatment for PTSD: Cognitive Processing Therapy
- Prolonged Exposure Treatment for PTSD with Dr. Edna Foa
- Addressing the Psychological Health of Warriors and Their Families – The Center for Deployment Psychology, 3-day training
- Military Sexual Trauma, Amy Sizer LCSW
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Advanced Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction – 8-week training
- Mindfulness Workshop with Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD
- National Center for Dispute Settlement Certificate in Mediation
- Certificate in Advanced Transformative Mediation Skills – prepared by Robert A. Baruch Bush, Joseph P. Folger, Dorothy J. Della Noce, and Sally Ganong Pope
- Certificate in Advanced Mediation Skills – School Mediation Associates
- Brief Therapy for Children and/or Adults – The Center for Applied Psychology
- Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Eating Disorders
- The Miracle Method: Building Solutions in Substance Abuse with Insoo Kim Berg, M.S.W.
- Couples Therapy: A New Research Based Approach: Gottman Institute therapy for couples
- The Many Faces of Infidelity: Exploring the Causes and Treatment of Extramarital Relationships
- Suicide Prevention & Current Research Revelations
- Bereavement Counseling, Patrick Ford, PHD
- Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief with David Kessler