Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

License #36540

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Private Practice - Westlake Village, CA

1997 - Present

Program Director

Venture Humanity, Inc. - Westlake Village, CA

2006 - Present

Oversight of Walk A Mile in Her Shoes® The International Men’s March Against Rape, Sexual Assault and Violence Against Women.

Adjunct Faculty

California State University, Northridge - Northridge, CA

1998 - 2006

Executive Director

Valley Trauma Center - Van Nuys California

1991 - 2005

Progressively increasing responsibilities at a CSUN Department of Educational Psychology sponsored training facility that provide volunteer placement to over 100 graduate students and services to thousands of community members per year.  Positions held include:

•         Clinical Director
•         Executive Director
•         Director
•         Assistant Director
•         Clinical Training Director
•         Volunteer Coordinator
•         Rape Crisis Advocate/Therapist

Domestic Violence Therapist

The Domestic Abuse Center - Northridge, CA                        

1991 - 1992

Teaching Assistant

University of California, Santa Cruz - Santa Cruz, CA

1983 - 1984

Research Assistant

University of California, Santa Cruz, Long Marine Lab

1984 - 1985

Back Office Manager

Phillip Taylor, MD, PhD, Orthomolecular Psychiatrist

1985-1993

Program Manager and House Parent

Community Re-Hope House

1977 - 1980

Activities Director

Thousand Oaks Retirement Home

1976 - 1977

ACADEMIC DEGREES

Master of Science

Marriage Family Child Counseling

California State University, Northridge, CA 1991

Bachelor of Arts

Psychobiology

University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 1983

CERTIFICATIONS AND TRAINING

California Marriage, Family and Child Therapist License - 1997

Trained in the Use of Mindfulness in Psychotherapy - 2011

Certified “Death Midwife” - 2010

Trained in Working with Death and Dying - 2009

Trained in Mindfulness Meditation as Stress Reduction - 2008

America Red Cross – DMH Service Associate - 2005

EMDR Level 1 - 2005

Certified Parent Project Parenting Workshop Instructor/Counselor - 2002

Certified Bereavement Counselor, Child Specialty - 2001

Certified The Color of Fear Diversity Tolerance Program - 1997

Certified Critical Incident Stress Debriefing - 1994

Mindfulness Training - 1994

California State Certified Domestic Abuse Counselor/Advocate - 1992

California State Certified Sexual Assault Advocate/Counselor - 1991

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Member, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

PUBLICATIONS

Successful grant proposals equating to over 4.4 million dollars in funding for emergency services, advocacy and counseling for community members and families.

RESEARCH (Related to Grants written)

Rape and Domestic Violence prevalence, causes, remediation, Southern California

Best Practices in Crisis Intervention for Rape Crisis Centers

Dating Violence Prevention Best Practices

Household Violence Prevention Best Practices

College Sexual Assault Prevention Best Practices

Efficacy of Rape Prevention and Education Programs for High School Students

Role of Significant Others in Healing Sexual Assault Trauma

Art Therapy Group Model for Rape Survivors

Group Model for Adults Molested as Children

Countertransference and Self Care for Rape Therapists and Advocates

Underserved populations in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys

Walk A Mile in Her Shoes® as a performance art prevention education

WORKSHOPS

Coping with Dying

Self Care for Caregivers

Death and Dying

Clinical Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Countertransference and Self Care for Therapists

Therapy with Adults Abused as Children

Mindfulness Practices for use in therapy

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Therapists

Mindfulness Practices for use with the diagnosis of PTSD

Best Practices for people with anxiety and mood disorders

Women’s Empowerment Therapy

Therapeutic Interventions for Child Sexual Assault

Stranger Danger

Working With Adolescent Survivors of Assault

Cross-cultural Issues in Therapy

Working Within Diversity

LGBTQ Issues

Providing Advocacy

Legal and Ethical Issues in the Clinical Treatment of Abuse Survivors

Historical Perspectives of Rape and Assaults against women

Legal and Ethical Issues in Therapy Work

Confidentiality

Basic Counseling Skills

Diagnosis in 5 Easy Steps

Empathy and Listening Skills

Empowering Survivors

Creator and Director of Valley Trauma Center 60 Hour Sexual Assault Crisis Training