Experience

County of Santa Barbara

• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Extra help Patient Rights Advocate trainer

  • May 2021 - Present

  *** I have officially retired after over 22 years with a SB County Behavioral wellness at the end of April 2021! My initial 10 years with the first Mental Health Treatment Court Team in SB County- an amazing opportunity! In that realm I was a QMHW and Drug and Alcohol Specialist. The following 12 years plus I served as a County Patient Rights Advocate. I have agreed to return half time extra help, temporarily, to support the training of the person hired to replace me as a PRA. Since I have worked since I was 15, this allows me a gentle transition from full time work in the MH field to adjust and decide what I would like to do next. I have experienced a wide-range productive, interesting and mostly exciting financially necessary work life. I am now blessed with retirement income and the ability to choose my next adventures.



Behavioral Wellness

• Santa Barbara County

• County Patients Rights Advocate

  • Sep 2009 - Present

  County Patient Rights Advocates are State Mandated positions created within the LPS Act. Our designation and duties are shown in the Welfare and Institution Codes, beginning in section 5500. We provide a range of service to our system, including but not limited to, representing those being held against their will in LPS units, complaint resolution and monitoring the mental health system in protecting the rights of MH patients. It is an honor and privilege to serve in this role and I am grateful for the opportunity.



County of Santa Barbara

• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• QMHW/CAADE Co-occuring Disorder Specialist

  • Nov 1999 - Sep 2009

  This was my first position with SB County Behavioral Wellness. It was an exciting rare opportunity to be part of the team creation of this counties first Mental Health Treatment Court. This was a highly collaborative team involving Behavioral Wellness, Probation, Public Defender, District Attorney and other community D&A services, moderated by Judge Flores. It was a fantastic learning and personal experience and the first co-occurring disorder treatment program provided on an official mental health site. We had one of the most successful programs is the country. Judge Flores traveled the county and shared our experience with our program model, supporting others in creating their own MHTCs. This was hugely educational within the realm of co-occurring treatment experience and I was blessed to be part of such an incredible group of professionals.