I started out my collegiate education earning an associate degree in Liberal Arts: Humanities & Social Sciences with an Emphasis on Psychology from Niagara County Community College (NCCC) where I graduated with Distinction. I simultaneously began my career volunteering and working with disadvantaged youth at a local Boys & Girls Club and with indigenous Native American populations in the Tuscarora Community Health Worker Program. While working on the Reservation, I implemented a ‘Drop n’ Pick Bin’ service for donations given by community members for them to utilize when in need and raised monetary donations to fund this service. While at NCCC I had the opportunity to be elected as Student Senate Secretary and took an active role in student activities, event planning, as well as the implementation of several capital projects that are enjoyed and admired by students today on the school’s grounds. 

 

Following graduation from NCCC, I then transferred to Niagara University (NU) and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and a Minor in Psychology where I graduated Summa Cum Laude. During this time, I continued to gain experience in the human services field while taking a more clinical focus. This led me to pursue and complete an internship with Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center’s Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit where I functioned as a Discharge Planner for both the men’s and women’s inpatient psychiatric units. This experience allowed me to gain a truly clinical approach, experience in clinical assessments, treatment planning, attaining patient benefits, discharge planning, referrals, home visits and coordinating various levels of community aftercare. I was also able to gain experience in crisis management approaches, patient stability, and working with a multidisciplinary team. 

 

Upon graduating from NU, I wanted to work in the helping field while waiting for graduate school to begin so I became employed at Community Mission’s INC. as a Resident Aide/Case Manager. I worked in several programs; primarily Choice’s mental health supportive living apartment program. While there, I worked to deliver restorative services (symptom management and skill building etc.), supervise self-administered medication management, administer screenings, facilitate activities, provide brief therapeutic intervention, and conduct home visits for consumers. 

I went on to Columbia University (CU) for the Advanced Standing Master of Social Work graduate program where I opted for a clinical track of focus. This afforded me the opportunity to relocate to the Upper West Side of Manhattan and immerse myself in learning from leading authorities in the clinical field. I initially focused heavily on mastering skills as a mental health diagnostician and then transitioned my focus to therapeutic practice interventions. While a student at CU, I desired to further my clinical focus to work with the severely and persistently mentally ill (SPMI) population as well as the mentally ill and chemically addicted (MICA) population and secured an internship at The Bridge INC. where I functioned as a Case Manager for adult patients. While in this role, I operated as a therapist for SPMI and MICA adult populations, facilitated and co-facilitated groups, designed new treatment groups/curriculums, conducted intakes, assessments, provided counseling, treatment planning, crisis intervention, referrals, utilized empirically based practice (EBP) interventions, provided psychoeducation and facilitated discharges. I graduated in just 10 months from CU with a 4.02 GPA with a Summa Cum Laude distinction.

 

Following graduation from CU, I opted to stay in NYC where I was immersed in diversity and working with leading clinical minds. I began employment with Visiting Nurse Service of New York located in the Bronx as a Psychiatric Social Worker on the Mobile Crisis Team. I later began assisting in other programs to diversify my experience with work in such programs as the Geriatric Mental Health Outreach team under the Early Detection Program and provided Case Management services as well. My primary work in all of these roles included conducting crisis home visits, assessments, facilitating hospitalizations through my designation of MHL §9.58 status when necessary as well as providing short term therapeutic care until community linkages were obtained. My ancillary duties for the other programs included conducting Mini Mental State Examinations (MMSE) to determine if there was a potential cognitive/neuropsychiatric deficit that may be attributed to Dementia as part of an attempt at early detection.  Additionally, I worked closely with NYPD ESU on crisis response and negotiation communications and was certified by John Jay College of Criminal Justice as a Psychological Technician in these approaches. 

 

I had the opportunity while living in NYC to work closely with a brilliant mentor to become a Teacher’s Assistant at my Alma Mater, Columbia University in the graduate School of Social Work assisting with and providing EBP Interventions with Women and Girls course instruction. I also gained experience and was responsible for the development of the course syllabus, compiling course readings and conducting literary research, as well as assisting with Mindfulness in Social Work Practice course instruction. Additionally, I had the opportunity to join a research team that was intent on investigating to what extent criminal justice content was addressed in MSW programs. This was relevant due to growing questions if accredited collegiate academic institutions were providing MSW candidates with any knowledge of, or preparedness to successfully work in criminal justice settings or with populations that had some level of interface with the criminal justice system. This opportunity allowed me to apply my knowledge and love of research methods and participate in research to further the social work field as well as offerings in academia. 

I later returned to the Western New York area and quickly obtained employment with Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center as a Therapist in the Community Mental Health Center Outpatient Clinic providing therapeutic services for adults. While in this role for several years, I had the opportunity to gain experience in intake screenings, biopsychosocial assessments, treatment planning, utilizing EBP interventions, treatment linkages, and discharge planning. Additionally, I coordinated and supervised the outpatient psychiatric rotation program for LECOM medical school students, was charged with the formulation of the curriculum for their psychiatric rotation, and created/facilitated diagnostic presentations for the medical students. I also provided support to my co-workers in serving on the bargaining committee for unionization within the hospital. 

 

In desiring to expand my experience and knowledge within the field, I began to simultaneously be employed with Northpointe Council Inc. where I was an Impaired Driving Program (IDP) Instructor for those who incurred a DWI/DWAI offense. This opportunity allowed me to build upon my experience in teaching while doing so in a structured programmatic format for those who were motivated to get their full licenses reinstated. I also worked for Northpointe Council Inc. as a Counselor for their Employee Assistance Program (EAP) providing their employees with clinical assessments, diagnosis, individual therapy, and referrals for ongoing care.

 

Sometime later, I decided on a career change to build upon my research on social work in criminal justice and became employed with New York State Office of Mental Health as a Social Worker in correction-based organizations at Attica Correctional Facility. I gained clinical experience in several areas of corrections based therapeutic practice while working with adult males in a maximum-security setting that included being the Coordinator of the Intermediate Care Program (ICP) which houses and provides individual/group clinical treatment under the SHU exclusion law for incarcerated individuals who have a SPMI designation. I also worked as a Social Worker in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) providing therapy for those in restricted housing settings. I worked in the Residential Mental Health Unit (RMHU) providing individual/group therapy services for those who are identified as SPMI and are serving a SHU sanction due to misbehavior. I was the coordinator of Long Term Keep Lock (LTKL) where I was responsible for the assessment and treatment provision for those serving sanctions within a keep lock setting. I briefly worked in and provided coverage for the Residential Crisis Treatment Program (RCTP) which is likened to a psychiatric ER/short term psychiatric inpatient unit within a hospital in the community. I also provided ongoing individual therapy to incarcerated individuals within the General Population (GP). Duties for all these program roles included providing assessments, diagnosis, treatment planning, individual therapy, group therapy, crisis management in programs, data entry, program oversight/coordination, policy adherence, and acute psychiatric evaluations. I also began providing training to peers regarding various topics in mental health including lethality and suicide assessment. It was during this time that my research team's work on social work in criminal justice settings was selected for publication. Following several revisions, it was finally printed in the Journal of Social Work Education which is a peer reviewed journal. This allowed me to gain experience in the publishing/editing/copyright process. It was subsequently selected for presentation at the Council on Social Work Education’s 55th Annual Meeting. 

 

Around the same time I started my employment with OMH, I also began working at New Directions Youth & Family Services as a Vendor Therapist in the Wrap Services program as well as periodically working in Children and Family Treatment Support Services (CFTSS) and Trauma Assessor Services for children in both Erie and Niagara Counties. In this role I provided in-home therapy with children/adolescents and families, conducted psychiatric evaluations/diagnosis as well as ongoing treatment, participated in multidisciplinary treatment team meetings and worked in accordance with the family’s vision and choice. 

 

Not long after starting employment with both OMH and New Directions did I begin to miss crisis response work in the community and decided to return to those roots by joining the Western New York Stress Reduction Team as a Crisis Responder. I served in this role for several years as a Crisis Incident Response and Stress Reduction Clinician. I became Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Trained and Disaster Response Trained. This gave me the opportunity to respond to and facilitate debriefings in the community as well as with first responders. 

 

I later left Attica Correctional Facility and went to work at Groveland Correctional Facility which was a medium-security adult male facility as a Discharge Planner with OMH. I decided to transfer from OMH to NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) which was naturally a better fit for me and my approach as well as my experience background. I started at Gowanda Correctional Facility working for the largest sex offender counseling treatment program (SOCTP) in NYS and later transferred back to Attica Correctional Facility as I continued to work with High-Risk Sex Offending males on their sexual behavior management, which I still do today. In this role I coordinate the SOCTP program for general population incarcerated individuals, facilitate structured support and core processing groups, conduct clinical and risk assessments, utilize standardized assessment tools, treatment planning, as well as participate in and facilitate treatment team and retention review meetings. I have also had the opportunity to work with the Administrative Segregation unit housed within SHU and many other programs. 

 

My time with NYS DOCCS has afforded me many opportunities to gain experience in and pursue my passion for training staff. I have taken on the role of a Mental Health Role Player Trainer where I train peers at local training sessions as well as new recruits at the correctional academy. Also, while working at Gowanda Correctional Facility the need for staff to work on their wellness given the clinical work that was done was apparent and deemed essential. I participated on a committee to plan and facilitate quarterly staff wellness days as an essential part of maintaining employee’s wellness. This inspired me to continue with this path on staff wellness upon my return to Attica leading me to join a committee to implement staff wellness training to manage the trauma experienced by those employed within corrections. As a result, I have been certified by Desert Waters LLC. as a Staff Wellness Trainer. Additionally, I have provided various trainings/presentations for staff ongoingly around the state on various topics such as mental health, interventions and response, wellness and became a presenter for NY Corrections and Youth Services Association (CAYSA). I enjoyed this so much I have since joined the organization committee for a local chapter. I have also had the prodigious opportunity to have leaders in corrections play a role in my development as mentors. Since having an LCSW licensure with an R privilege I have gone on to do the same for other social workers in the field in providing mentorship as well as clinical supervision for higher licensure status while helping them clinically navigate a growing clinical field. 

 

In increasing my focus on wellness for law enforcement and correctional staff I have become an approved provider and vetted therapist for the Western New York Law Enforcement Helpline. This has allowed me to provide therapeutic services to working and retired law enforcement members and their families for any issue that may impact their work and family life. I take great pride in assisting those affiliated with the blue line manage their wellness.

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In furthering my commitment to educate/train employees of the helping field, I returned to working with Community Missions INC. after many years, but now  in the role of Consultant. I provide regular staff training on a variety of topics including lethality, use of various standardized instruments/measures, trauma informed care, conflict resolution topics etc. Additionally, I provide client/program/employee consultation services for that agency as well within several of the programs offered.  

 

A career in Clinical Social Work was an easy fit for me as I am a compassionate advocate and tenacious critical thinker. I have since gone on to maintain several positions simultaneously in truly diverse fields of human service. This allows me to stay at the forefront of empirically based practice and have current practical experience in clinical and theoretical application in my many current occupations. I also utilize this knowledge and application experience when providing consultation/supervision services and training to others making Private Practice a natural transition for me.

I also enjoy spending time with my family and friends participating in active outdoor activities whenever possible as part of my own wellness.