Professional Background
Education
Psy.D June 2005
M.A. June 2003
Dual Master / Doctorate
California School of Professional Psychology @ Alliant International, Los Angeles, CA.
Clinical Psychology – Multi-Cultural Clinical Psychology Emphasis (MCCP)
Doctoral Dissertation Title: “The Psychological and Socio-Cultural Effects of Rape on Latinas”
B.A. Psychology 2001
San Diego State University, San Diego, CA.
Private Practice Provider / Consultant
October 2013 - Present
Providing individual therapy / coaching in private practice setting including Telehealth. Training and Consultation for Corporate Administrators & Managers.
CHE Behavioral Health
October 2019 - Present
Comprehensive mental health treatment provided to geriatric population in skilled nursing facility setting. Primary services provide to long term and short-term rehabilitation patients. Completion of Diagnostic Interviews, and utilization of various psychological modalities and interventions that are most appropriate for patients care plan. Working collaboratively with the Skilled Nursing Facility staff on a multi-disciplinary team for patient care and treatment planning.
Behavioral Health Services Supervisor
Riverside University Health System – Behavioral Health
Crisis Support System of Care
September 2014 - October 2019
Overall program supervision of high profile county wide mobile crisis response triage team within the department of mental health’s system of care program. Management and oversight of 3 state funded grants totaling over $10 million dollars, Duties include program development and design, budgetary/fiscal monitoring, hiring / training / supervision of program staff including clinical supervision of unlicensed Clinicians in preparation of licensure. Development of program specific local operating procedures and protocols as well as adhering to RUHS-BH policies. Ongoing collaboration with community stakeholders including Riverside County hospitals, schools, foster agencies, group homes and local law enforcement, including Sherriff’s and Police Departments. Promoting program services and educating stakeholders of program goals to decrease the amount of time spent by officers in the field and emergency department staff on psychiatric emergencies and to decrease the number of 5150’s being written by providing crisis intervention team response to community partners in the community. Supervision and operation of crisis triage dispatch call center and crisis triage center operational 7 days a week. Attending executive meetings to continuously keep stakeholders and RUHS-BH Directors informed on program statistics, effectiveness, collaborate on expansion and special projects. Providing program statistics reports to management and state grant administrators. Administrative and Clinical supervision of 30+ staff, on-call / afterhours supervisory duties, monitoring staff attendance, monitoring of all areas of staff performance including productivity. Providing effective leadership and consultation to staff in casework and/or treatment methods and in professional development. Participation in several work groups that involve crisis management, including CIT (Crisis Intervention Training) for Law Enforcement, 5150 LPS Designated Trainer and 5150 Committee contributor. Trainer and Lead on the CISD Team (Critical Incident Stress Debriefing) which provides debriefing, psychological first aid, counseling, and consulting to community partners after critical incident.
Clinical Advisor / Staff Psychologist
Vericare California
January 2012 - September 2014
Work with Vice President, Clinical Services to audit and review documentation for quality assurance by clinicians and provide feedback and recommendations to Vericare Clinicians. Provide clinical and quality management support, training, feedback, and consultation to Southern California Region. Provide case consultation and answers to questions regarding psychotherapy, testing, documentation/quality management, behavior management and adherence to managed care standards including Medi-Care. Provide ongoing consultation and support, review of case material, report writing guidance, and feedback on test results, and any additional training as needed to other Vericare clinical services providers. Ensure Clinicians are meeting daily productivity. Support and mentoring of new hires in on boarding process through orientation and training as needed. Provide technical answers and support to Vericare Clinicians related to Salesforce, iPads, etc. Deliver continuing education (CE) presentation at regional bi-monthly meetings. Provide overall guidance, training and support to Clinical staff. Comprehensive mental health treatment provided to geriatric population in skilled nursing home setting. Primary services provided to long term and short term rehabilitation patients. Conduct Diagnostic Interviews, and utilization of various psychological modalities and interventions that are most appropriate for the patients care plan. Neuropsych testing using various test batteries. Work collaboratively with the nursing facility staff on a multi-disciplinary scale.
Staff Psychologist
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) Norco, CA
December 2007 - April 2012
Application of psychological knowledge and techniques to the problems of mental and developmental disabilities in adult offenders in a correctional facility, conduct various groups and individual therapy. Consult with various professional disciplines regarding evidence of organic disturbances related to behavioral disorders. Completion of psychological evaluations with sex offenders to assess community safety and provided clinical recommendations prior to parole. Assess inmate’s needs and make recommendations on admission, transfer, parole, discharge, and treatment planning. Participate in intake, crisis intervention, and parole planning. Participate in treatment team, rehabilitation, and professional trainings. Cooperate and collaborate with custody staff to maintain the safety and security of the institution.
Clinic Manager
Bienvenidos Children’s Center
September 2007 - December 2014
Management of all clinic operations and programs including Specialized Foster Care, WRAP Around Services, Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment. Responsible for clinic budget and management duties including recruitment, hiring, evaluation, and termination of employees. Administrative and clinical supervision of all Master’s and Doctoral level clinicians. Supervision of crisis evaluations and interventions. Participation in weekly quality assurance and utilization review of client charts as required by Dept. of Mental Health.
Adult Outpatient Unit Supervisor
Enki Health & Research Systems
September 2005 - September 2009
Supervision of adult outpatient services and adherence to company policy and procedures as well as implementing administrative/clinical procedures and programs within the guidelines relevant to clinic operations. Coordinate with Clinic Manger and Management Team in development of programs to deliver relevant, quality, and confidential services to target population as well as the resolution of clinical / nonclinical issues that arise within the program. Direct administrative supervision of Clinicians and Case Managers for adult programs including Outpatient, Dual diagnosis, and Cal Works. Participation in monthly quality assurance and utilization review of client charts as required by Dept. of Mental Health. Responsible to review and/or approve clinical / administrative paperwork, i.e., intakes, coordinated services paperwork, time off requests, timesheets, and workers comp. claims etc. Responsible for hiring, evaluation and termination of clinical staff, as well as participation in recruitment of staff. Provision of on-going clinical and support staff training on mental health issues. Participation in site Safety Committee and Crisis Response Team. Consultation with multidisciplinary treatment teams. Additional clinical duties include: individual and group therapy with high functioning to low functioning chronically mentally ill adults, crisis, clinical assessment/evaluation, intake, and treatment planning under DMH guidelines.
Teaching Experience
Fall Semester 2005 - Spring 2006
Pacific Oaks College – Latino Family Systems
Graduate course which course examines the clinical family systems of the Latina/o family. Issues of the family system that are explored are issues of sexuality, gender roles, education, acculturation, generation gaps, religion, transition from minority to majority status (especially for Latinas/os in California), and family traditions.
Alliant International University at CSPP - Social Psychology
Graduate course which focuses on developing an understanding of the nature of human social behavior, with particular attention to the socio-cultural and sociopolitical contexts.
Foster Care Social Worker
Homes of Hope Foster Family Agency
September 2004 - October 2005
Social work, case management, completion of treatment plans, quarterly reports, weekly contact notes, progress notes, and other required mandated reporting. Development of specialized reports for County Social Workers with respect to child’s welfare, progress, and treatment plan. Additional position responsibilities included participation in monthly quality assurance and utilization review, representation as child’s Liaison with County Social Worker, Therapist, Psychiatrist, and other professionals involved within the multidisciplinary team. Consultation and provision of clinical staff training on issues of sexual assault and violence.
Facility Coordinator / Behavioral Health Specialist (On-Call / Per Diem)
Rosemary Children’s Services
January 2002 - May 2005
Coordination of facility activities including staff/client ratio, transportation, resident daily activities/schedules and medication administration. Coordination of client intake / pick-up from juvenile hall. Facilitated daily client groups on variety of topics including self care, family relations, and self esteem. Overall supervision of all residents and facility grounds, crisis intervention, coordinating transportation to and from mandatory appointments and school-based programs and organization of weekend recreation and events of facility. Efficient completion of daily reports including client’s daily progress, and incident reporting. Mentoring and case management for clients to aid in their successful completion of their rehabilitation program. Administration of daily medications, logging and, tracking of psychotropic prescriptions and consulting with psychiatrist and nurse.
Behavioral Therapist
California Psychiatric Care
December 2001 - July 2002
Intake and assessment from Regional Center evaluations, development of care plans for clients, and correspondence with multi-disciplinary therapy team members. Population served included autistic, mentally retarded, and cerebral palsy clients from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Services provided include; Discrete Trial Training (D.T.T.), Behavior intervention / Parent training, Behavior respite, Developmental, Individual-difference, Relation-based (D.I.R) intervention – “floor time.” Particular clinical interest and role taken in age zero to three population of children with diagnosable disorders.
Group Home Manager
Heritage Group Homes Inc.
June 2001 - January 2002
Implementation of resident treatment plans, utilization review, supervision of in-group counseling, conducted and planned in-service training and conducted focus groups on various topics. Population served included severely emotionally disturbed adolescent girls from multi-cultural backgrounds from primarily low socio-economic communities with an average of 5 years in Child Protective Services (C.P.S) as a result of abuse or neglect. Training and hiring of new employees. In-take and discharge of facility clients. Completion of monthly and quarterly progress reports and client/staff evaluations. Planning of weekly and monthly activities, scheduling and over-seeing chores, medications, menu planning, and facilitating independent living sessions for clients. Overall management of 24-hour facility and staff.
Pre-Doctorate Internships
2002 - 2005
September 2002 - June 2003
South Bay Child Guidance Center
Individual and family therapy with severely emotionally disturbed adolescents and children. Development of service plans interventions and goals. Crisis intervention. Consultation with psychiatrist for client’s medication management. Case presentation of critical clients to interdisciplinary team, client intake, psychological testing and, weekly group and individual supervision, participation is weekly utilization review. Art therapy group co-leader for Day Rehabilitation program in a school setting. Utilization review committee member. Completion of all Medi-Cal and AB3632 paperwork and billing.
September 2003 - June 2004
Las Encinas Psychiatric Hospital
Individual, group, and family therapy with chronically mentally ill inpatient and outpatient clients within various units of the hospital, including trauma and recovery, general psychiatric, dual diagnosis, acute care, and children and adolescents. Participation in multi-disciplinary treatment team to develop service plan interventions within a Cognitive Behavior Therapy model to maximize patient’s care. Participation in utilization review for medical necessity criteria. Attendance at various medical lectures and staff trainings with emphasis on patient care and management. Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) training and observation. Hospital critical care intake training and observation. Supervision and consultation with Psychiatrist or Psychologist for client’s medication management.
September 2004 - May 2005
South Central Training Consortium, Inc.
Individual, group, and family therapy. Primary population served is women and children living in emergency or transitional housing locations. Group leader on topics including: Substance Abuse/ Addiction, Empowerment, Parenting, and Sexuality. Specialization in working with domestic violence and sexual assault survivors through Cognitive Therapy Model of Individual and Group treatment. Clinical Peer – Supervisory leader and mediator for Practicum level clinicians. Integral part of treatment team and utilization review team on a weekly basis. Clinical training coordinator and liaison with multi-site administration and non-clinical staff. Pilot Team member with Compton Unified School district Mental Health Program. Additional duties included program development, staff training, consulting, and conflict resolution training and certification.
Publication
September 11, 2002
PUBLICATIONS:
“Remembering September 11, 2001” Pg. 7. The Community Connection, Vol. 14,
International Psychology, September 11, 2002