My clinical experience includes: dual-diagnosis residential treatment center & out-patient care, elementary/middle/continuation schools, college health & counseling center, mental health community outpatient clinics, teenage male sex-offender group homes, group homes for severely emotionally disturbed (SED) kids/teens, court-mandated supervised therapeutic visitation, other milieu counseling environments, peer counseling groups, and crisis hotlines.  

Selected Past Counseling Work Experiences:
 

I served as a treating clinician for 3 years with the College of San Mateo Health Center & Counseling Services Division.

I provided individual, couples, family, and drop-in crisis counseling in their students' health center. I also provided counseling to faculty, staff, and classroom educational outreach.  I also was treating students from our veterans community via the "VROC", the many group home/assisted-living students struggling with mental health or physical disabilities, and dually-diagnosed students. Crisis interventions and/or psychological supportive therapy & outreach to students flagged as potential risk for drop-out or other mental health/substance abuse/or behavioral disruptions in the classroom were among my responsibilities and were clients I would see in my practice regularly.   

Community Health Awareness Council 
P.O. Box 335
Mountain View, CA 94042
www.chacmv.org

I served as a treating clinician/primary for 1 year with CHAC in three roles:

1) I provided individual, couples, and family counseling in their community clinic site.

2) I also served as a school counselor at Thauerkauf Elementary School two days a week while at CHAC providing individual counseling and group counseling ("Tween/Teen Talk" groups, self-esteem groups, anti-bullying groups) for kids. I provided consultation for teachers, staff, school officials, and worked with parents.

3) I assisted in the "Parent Project", an 8-week curriculum throughout my year as new class sections were ongoing. I provided extra counseling assistance to parent(s) attending the course and co-facilitated parent support groups. The "Parent-Project" is designed to help families deal with delinquent, truant, abusive, violent, possibly substance abusing, possibly sexually acting out, or otherwise out of control kids and teenagers. 

I was employed as a primary treating clinician for 4 years with Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County in their mental health & behavioral division as well as their HUD Adult Housing section for dually-diagnosed chronically homeless.   

1) I worked for 1.5 years with their mental health and behavioral division at the Kindred Souls Family Visitation Center and provided therapeutic supervision visitation for children and their families after the kids/teens had been removed by Child Protective Services from their homes and placed into foster-care, group homes, adoptive homes, or protective care. Kindred Souls Family Visitation Center is a setting that provides intensive intervention visits for families under the supervision of the Juvenile Dependency Court. I saw Victim Witness, Medi-Cal, insurance & private pay clients.  I would conduct and write up assessments, treatment plans, reports to assigned case managers/social-workers/court officials, and therapeutic supervised visitation reports or transcriptions. I would do individual, couples, and family or caretaker counseling as well as provide crisis and harm-reduction as needed.     

2) I worked for 4 years in their HUD Adult Housing division and do assessments, treatment planning, harm-reduction, resource linkage, and individual, couples & group counseling to residents of the dual-diagnosis housing program.  I would conduct supportive housing and substance abuse mental health treatments for formerly chronically homeless persons. Coordinate services with other professionals and providers involved with designated tenants, e.g. case managers, employment providers, VA, penal system, etc. Formal diagnosis, conduct individual mental health therapy, development of treatment plan, tracking of progress, and working in collaboration with tenants' supportive networks. Population: Work includes extensive substance and alcohol recovery work with dual-diagnosis clients meeting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements. Also chronic pain/chronic illness counseling, Mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, Positive Psychology, Dialectic Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Trauma Work/PTSD, Client-Centered Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, dream work, formal Intervention protocols, and more.     

I worked for 1.5 years with Family Children Services as a primary clinician.  Formal diagnosis, development of treatment plans, tracking of progress, and working with the clinical team.  Providing individual, couples, and group counseling in a clinic setting serving highly culturally and socio-economically diverse population including severely mentally ill populations with dual-diagnosis, personality disorders, substance abuse, domestic violence, rape/incest histories, and complex traumas.  Primary clinician role: develop treatment plans, assess clients, harm-reduction, and work with collateral contacts such as school officials, teachers, social workers, courts, psychiatrists, hospital employees and the families to accomplish the treatment goals.  Case presentations to the treatment team, written reports and MediCal documentation. Knowledge of substance abuse, self-harming, & domestic violence treatment protocols and linkage to support services as well as creating new resources while remaining culturally sensitive and knowledgeable. 

I served for 1.25 years as a primary clinician giving individual and group counseling to culturally diverse adolescent population including adult family members in two neighboring schools (middle school, pre- & elementary school) settings. Clinical assessments and formal diagnosing of clients as part of clinical team. develop treatment plans and work with the school officials, teachers and families to accomplish the treatment goals. Case presentations to the treatment team, written clinical reports, and cost analysis of new outreach programs. knowledge of substance abuse, domestic violence, gang culture, harm-reduction, and linkage to support services as well as creating untapped resources while remaining culturally sensitive and knowledgeable.  

Guadalupe Homes for Boys 
Redlands, CA

In 1997 I served as a primary on-site counselor for 1 year supervising severely emotionally disturbed male children and teens (SED) in a level 12 group home that catered to those found guilty of forcible sexual act(s) on another child(ren).  Tasks included: individual, group and milieu therapy; attending to basic needs; dispensing psychopharmaceudical medications; tutoring; life skills training; leading daily group-centered-leadership groups, individual/group crisis interventions, and participating as a counselor in weekly PASE groups (a relapse prevention program for juvenile sex offenders). Placement required working in conjuction with social workers, parole/probation officers, therapists, and guardians to create a personalized relapse prevention program.  At times victims or family of victims confronted their attackers as part of their relapse prevention program and I assisted in the preparation of all participants involved and facilitated these face-to-face meetings.    

Monteilh Child & Family Services
Home for Girls
848 South Vine Avenue
Rialto, CA 92376                                                                                   

In 1996-1997 I serve as a primary on-site counselor supervising severely emotionally disturbed female children (SED) in a level 12 group home. Clients had a variety of of psychological, developmental, and behavioral issues.  Dual-diagnosis, personality disorders, mood disorders, conduct disorders, truancy, deliquency, vandalism, runaways, prostitution, as well as self-harming and sexual acting out behaviors. Some had been incest and rape survivors that came through Child Protective Services and been in the foster-care system before entering juvenile detention.  Tasks included: attending to basic needs; dispensing psychopharmacological medications; tutoring; providing a positive therapeutic environment and milieu therapy; leading daily group sessions and individual/group crisis interventions as needed. Placement required working in conjunction with social workers, parole/probation officers, therapists, and guardians to create a personalized treatment program.  Position included training on treating drug abuse, running away, sexual acting out, suicidal inclinations, cutting behaviors, and 51-50 hospitalizations and/or monitor/suggest psychopharmacological solutions as needed.  

University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA

In 1994-1996 I served as a primary peer and crisis counselor for 2 years at the rape crisis and sexual assault hotline.  

For a more detailed description on my current professional activities & credentials, please click here. 

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