Professional School Counselor

• Jul 2018 - Present

Professional School Counselor

• Jul 2017 - Present

Professional School Counselor

• Jun 2018 - Present

- Advocate for students well being - Resource for educational advancement - Meet with students about academic, social and emotional concerns - Assist students in processing their problems and plan goals and action - Mediate conflict between students and teachers - Improve parent/teacher relationships - Facilities groups (girl/boy mentor groups; grief/loss groups; childhood diseases; conflict resolution; suicide prevention; self injurious behavior groups; bullying; self confidence; etc. Show less

Director of Professional Development

• Apr 2008 - Present

To train a number of different programs (mostly centered on behavior management for adults and children; in school, communities and church settings). Recently I received certification to train, Time to Teach, which is an evidence based, highly successful set of classroom management strategies that tens of thousands of teachers are using and have been using for over four decades. The impact goes much further and deeper than just classroom behavior. In addition to an improvement in student(s) behavior following our training, schools also report: 1) a rise in teacher job satisfaction, 2) a rise in student scores, 3) a major decrease in office referrals, 4) a decrease in dropout rates and suspensions, 5) an improvement in the feeling/tone in classrooms and throughout the building, and 6) that our strategies have allowed them to finally achieve the systemic cultural change they had been seeking for so long. Our motto is: “In God we trust, all others bring your data.” Show less

School Counselor

• May 2017 - Aug 2018

Provide school counseling services in a residential mental/behavioral health setting. Provide school counseling services in a residential mental/behavioral health setting.

Therapist

• Aug 2015 - Jul 2017

Integrates evidence based theory, concepts, and interventions in the field working with clients and their families; use interventions as an effective behavior management tool with consumers; attend weekly treatment team meetings and make presentations (as assigned), work with the team to create, personalize, and update all treatment plans, assuring that all plans meet all TFS policies, State licensing regulations, and COA accreditation requirements in a timely manner; provide supervised visits and individual, group, and family therapeutic interventions, as outlined in the treatment plan; provide structured, clinically sound individual, group and family therapy to all assigned clients; direct the treatment process and ensures good communication with all treatment team members (if the case is shared); implement permanency planning, including discharge plans, as assigned by the treatment team within established time frames; participate in school and State staffing for children assigned to caseload (as needed); participate in court-related issues for the caseload in coordination with clinical supervisor; link the client with specific services and resources as identified in the treatment plan; participate in the PQI process and completes audit corrections accurately and within established time-frames; complete progress note documentation within 24 hour time frame; focus on quality in “everything”; consistently identifie and improves performance and service; resolve alerts in management information system within 24 hours; provide client contact as ordered in treatment plan; consistently demonstrate a willingness to assist co-workers and stakeholders while maintaining appropriate boundaries; manage schedule, client time, and other duties effectively; etc. Show less

Juvenile Program Manager

• Dec 2011 - Apr 2012

Supervise 7 probation officers; 1 supervisor and 2 administrative assistants. Responsible for supervising staff to ensure the implementation of Department policies procedures, programs, directives and applicable standards; develop goals, objectives and planning related programs; consult with court, regional and central office personnel; planning, proposing and submitting budgets; attend local, regional, state meetings, conferences and workshops; communicate effectively and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of staff, other agencies and public officials; demonstrate ability to verse the development, evaluation, and administration of a variety of diverse programs within the unit and with other agencies; interviewing/hiring new staff; employee disciplinary/corrective actions; termination of employment; report weekly WIGS goals; attend and provide expertise at Screenings (panel that decides offenders consequences after being commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice); attend Detention Review Team meeting (meeting to discuss youths in detention); meet with East Point Police department to enter in juvenile warrants into GCIC; develop local operating procedures; maintain county jail reports; develop staff performance evaluations; etc Show less

Juvenile Probation/Parole Specialist III- Supervisor

• Sep 2010 - Dec 2011

Supervised 13 staff, serves as job expert (organization resource), train probation officers on the intake process, assessment, program and treatment planning; counsel staff, offenders and offenders family; train probation officers daily case management processes; supervise staff competencies; conduct Board requested pre-parole investigations, counsels' probationers/parolees via office visits, employment visits, telephone inquiries, community contacts and correspondence; develop liaisons and networks in order to make plans for helping offenders with life adjustments; inform offenders of requirements of conditional release; investigate disciplinary infractions, investigate activities of probationers/parolees to ascertain their level of readjustment to society; investigates background histories of probationers/parolees; review court files, police reports and other pertinent reports to gather information; monitor staff productivity (daily), conduct monthly one on one meetings with probation officers; etc. Show less

Juvenile Probation/Parole Specialist III- Supervisor (High Intensity Team Supervision Program)

• Sep 2009 - Sep 2010

Supervised 2 probation officers (directly), 6 probation officers (indirectly) and 2 administrative assistance (indirectly). Designed spread sheet to track compliance of High Intensity Team Supervision (HITS) staff; monitor staff productivity; conduct weekly case staffing; train/monitor weekly Self Esteem and Life Skills (SEALS) classes; assist in the assimilation of youth returning to the community (program designed to work with offenders sentenced to serve 12 to 60 months) returning to the community from the Youth Development Campus (YDC); advocate in the community for youths return to the public school setting; assist youths with enrolling into college; train youths to fill out employment applications; assist youths to obtain employment; serve as job expert; conduct pre-parole investigations; counsels' probationers or parolees via office visits, employment visits, telephone inquiries, community contacts and correspondence; develop liaisons and networks in order to make plans for helping offenders with life adjustments; informs offenders of requirements of conditional release (such as office visits, restitution payments, or educational and employment stipulations); investigate disciplinary infractions; investigate activities of probationers to ascertain their level of readjustment to society; investigates background histories of probationers; review court files, police reports and other pertinent reports; etc. Show less

Juvenile Probation/Parole Specialist II

• Jul 2007 - Sep 2009

Performs a variety of duties relating to juvenile offenders; intake process, assessment, program and treatment planning; counsel staff, offenders and offenders families; conduct pre-parole investigations, counsels' probationers/parolees via office visits, employment visits, telephone inquiries, community contacts and correspondence; develop liaisons and networks in order to make plans for helping offenders with life adjustments; inform offenders of requirements of conditional release/probation order; examine disciplinary infractions, investigate activities of probationers/parolees to determine their level of readjustment to society; investigate background histories of probationers/parolees; review court files, police reports and other pertinent reports to gather information; etc. Show less

Juvenile Probation/Parole Specialist I

• Apr 2007 - Jul 2007

Aide in making plans for helping offenders with life adjustments; counsels' probationers or parolees via office visits, employment visits, telephone inquiries, community contacts and correspondence; informs offenders or inmates of requirements of conditional release, such as office visits, restitution payments, or educational and employment stipulations; investigates activities of probationers or parolees to ascertain their level of readjustment to society, investigates background histories of probationers or parolees; review court files, police reports and other pertinent reports to gather information; testify in court concerning matters pertaining to clients such as sentencing, trials, pleas and violations of parole conditions; monitors and conducts surveillance of probationers; provides offenders or inmates with assistance in matters concerning detainees and sentences in other jurisdictions; write reports detailing clients' progress and other reports as necessary; perform arrests of parolees who have violated the terms of their release, in accordance with statutory requirements; etc. Show less

Community Support Individual

• Oct 2007 - Aug 2008

Education and training on skills and resources for individuals (between the ages of 6-23); assess individual treatment needs; identification of available resources; make referral(s) to needed services; monitoring and coordination of interagency services; direct service delivery of needed non-medical services not available in community; help individuals that may need assistance with daily living skills including coordinating access to necessary rehabilitative and medical services; etc. Education and training on skills and resources for individuals (between the ages of 6-23); assess individual treatment needs; identification of available resources; make referral(s) to needed services; monitoring and coordination of interagency services; direct service delivery of needed non-medical services not available in community; help individuals that may need assistance with daily living skills including coordinating access to necessary rehabilitative and medical services; etc.

Activity/Experiential Therapist

• Nov 2006 - Mar 2007

Deliver activity therapy programs to developmentally and emotionally disturb adolescent boys by developing and conducting group and individualized treatment/activities on and off campus. Prepare assessments and participates as a member of inter-disciplinary treatment teams. Train and supervise activity therapy programs conducted by direct care staff.

Staff Development Specialist

• Oct 2004 - Nov 2006

Conduct Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Training (Licensed Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Instructor from Cornell University); conduct First Aid and CPR training (Licensed CPR/FA Instructor); conduct Defensive Driver's Training; conduct training on company's human resource policies and procedures; conduct training on appropriate boundaries in the workplace; assessment of all training and development needs; meet with programs/departmental directors to assess training needs for staff; plan and coordinate hospital psychiatric training and development needs; develop monthly calendar of training events; facilitate and/or coordinate internal training programs using internal and external resources; maintain computerized database of all internal and external training; complete monthly reports of staff development activities; serve as a staff advocate and facilitator of communication; maintain strict confidentiality of all employee information; etc. Show less

Unit Manager

• Sep 2003 - Oct 2004

Manage 8 -supervise 20 (indirectly) employees; supervise the management of 28 residents; ensure adequate staff coverage is maintained; develop staff performance evaluations; provide progressive discipline to staff when deemed necessary; administer weekly phone contact with probation officers and parent(s) to inform of any treatment concerns/treatment objectives/behavioral updates; participate in each resident treatment team; ensure implementation of daily routine; attended Detention Review Team meeting at Regional Youth Detention Center (RYDC); interview/approve young men (13-17) from detention center for possibility of entrance into the Excel program; etc. Show less

Counselor

• Jan 2003 - Sep 2003

Manage/supervise and counsel a group of 15 emotionally disturbed adolescent boys with extensive juvenile justice records in a residential outdoor therapeutic program; provide one on one counseling; verbally de-escalation of crisis situations; implement daily routine and planning schedule; lead/co-lead therapeutic group sessions and communicate information obtained to unit manager; write daily progress note on each resident in group; participate in group evaluation process; attend weekly treatment team; etc. Show less