Concentrations in Adult Mental Health and Wellness, and Military Social Work. Coast to Coast Stipend Program participant for additional training in Substance and Alcohol Abuse. Field Placement at the Upstate New York Veterans Home, working with veterans with disabilities and part of the geriatric population.

Concentration in General Psychology. Internship at Huther Doyle, working with individuals receiving treatment for alcohol and substance abuse.

Concentration in General Psychology with a minor in Gerontology and Aging Studies.

• Conduct interviews and utilize assessments tools to assess emotional, functional, and psychological conditions.
• Provide psychoeducation and direct advice regarding suicide and mental illness crisis.
• Provides support for the identification of veterans at high risk and coordinates enhanced care.
• Keep caller, texter, or chatter engaged while multi-tasking to document work, look up resources, and instant message for assistance when needed.
• Work collaboratively with other members of the VA Crisis Hotline Program to identify appropriate services for Veterans in crisis.
• Perform preceptor duties by communicating effectively with new trainees, provide a structured learning experience, and providing feedback to enhance professional growth.
• Perform Callers with Complex Needs point of contact duties by assisting fellow Social Science Specialist with behavior protocols for callers, texters, and chatters when applicable.
• Implement suicide and mental health crisis prevention strategies.
• Make outgoing calls to Veterans if a Veteran has sent an email or letter to the White House, or some other government agency.
• Assist Veterans and their family/friend/significant other with issues regarding the Veterans' mental health issues, referrals, benefits, support groups.
• Prepare and maintain records and reports in accordance with program guidelines.
• Complete structured diagnostic and clinical assessments.

• Communicates with 911 dispatchers, emergency responders, and Mental Health mobile units to get emergency services to imminently suicidal individuals.
• Collaborates with the responder to get information on Veteran identity and location to initiate the rescue.
• Advocates with emergency responders for the delivery of the appropriate level of emergency intervention of police and other emergency responders for callers, as appropriate with the ability to understand the variety of resource options available nationally and internationally, with response teams.
• Relays real time information from the responder to emergency dispatch, law enforcement and emergency medical personnel.
• Provides updates to the supervisory team as needed on progress of ongoing rescues and alerts supervisory team immediately if there are any barriers to providing emergency services to those in crisis to include a failed rescue.
• Documents all contact attempts in Medora per VCL policy and escalates urgent or emergent contacts to the Supervisor.
• Utilizes multiple software programs and Internet search engines concurrently along with critical, creative thinking to locate imminently suicidal Veterans.
• Locates Veterans using various Internet resources as well as VA databases.
• Communicates with SPC's daily through email, IM and telephone calls. Receives inbound call center administrative calls and/or calls from SPCs and responds to any questions, escalating emergent situations to Supervisor.
• Ensures that the SPCs (from over 152 VAMCs nationwide) follow-up has been completed by reviewing consult documentation in Crisis Line/Call Center Web-Application and CPRS.
• Conducts follow-up chart checks to ensure Veterans' consults are provided to the appropriate VAMC.
• Provides Veteran dispositions to SPC's based on local emergency services assessment and provides dispositions for Facility Transport Plans.
• Educates local law enforcement and dispatch on telecommunication procedures to locate those in crisis.
• Assumes administrative and program tasks as needed.

• Create activities and treatment plans to assist clients with developing skills to increase their resiliency, positive behaviors, and use of coping skills to strengthen self-regulation.
• Develop and implement behavioral support plans and treatment plans with clients to ensure personal and professional goals are met and revised regularly.
• Analyze data and survey results to determine, develop and implement wellness initiatives with individuals and their families such as respite services and other supportive services.
• Experience in developing, recommending, and implementing Integrity and Compliance program goals for the operational units within a local healthcare system.
• Interpreted results of analyses to reach meaningful conclusions and recommendations to review with client, family members and treatment team.

• Assess and analyze service needs of clients and refer to community resources.
• Maintain a resource directory of local agencies and providers offering services.
• Develop and implement individualized service plans with clients and their treatment team to ensure a person-centered approach is followed.
• Provide clients and their families support, encouragement, cognitive behavior therapy, and education on coping skills to adapt to stressful environments and situations.
• Perform administrative duties such as booking meetings, scheduling events, maintaining internal databases and confidential records.
• Read manuals and became familiar with the behavioral, social, and cultural factors that influence health to assist clients and family members with referrals and linkage to appropriate treatment programs.

• Facilitate psychoeducational classes for service members to improve mental health and wellness, morale, resiliency, workplace efficiency and effectiveness.
• Review training curriculum to ensure courses contain up to date information and are compliant with current policies and regulations by preparing training material ahead of time for each weekly training session and keeping up to date on the organizations standard operating procedures.
• Utilize various instructional methods, tools, and training materials to conduct new employee/soldier and/or continuing professional development training such as handouts, interactive training games, group discussion, screen sharing, showing relevant training videos, implementing practice scenarios, communicating with Microsoft Teams IM, listening in on calls and/or having trainees listen to calls with AVAYA, and in person trainings and/or virtual trainings over Zoom.
• Evaluate trainee performance to ensure job readiness and determine the need for additional supportive training by utilizing the Preceptor Feedback Tool for Responders provided on VCL SharePoint, having an open and respectful verbal conversation with trainee regarding feedback, and providing written feedback to serve as a reference as needed.
• Assist new soldiers assigned to working in the clinic with creating user profiles and resolving system application issues, to ensure they have access to electronic health records of clients and necessary databases.
• Analyze data and survey results to develop wellness program initiatives for service members and their families, before, during, and after deployments.
• Analyze reports to provide recommendations to leadership when mental health trends begin to arise within a unit, to allow them to intervene proactively instead of reactively.
• Lead monthly treatment team meetings to collaborate with other providers to ensure a whole health model and integrative care approach.
• Refer soldiers to active-duty resources on post to assist with life stressors and provide access to services such as The Army Family Advocacy Program, The Army Legal Assistance Program, The Army Financial Readiness Program, Defense Finance and Accounting Services, The Army Continuing Education System, The Total Army Sponsorship Program, The Soldier for Life- Transition Assistance Program and Military One Source.
• Act as the unit point of contact to schedule and develop training and wellness needs through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and consultation with leadership and service members.
• Applied and executed data collection plans to gather necessary information as requested by leadership to present mental health findings during monthly unit briefings.
• Assisted senior teammates and licensed clinic staff in the development of presentations for appropriate audiences to facilitate public health programs and practice for pre and post deployment.
• Perform all duties listed below for Mental Health Specialist in addition to additional duties as assigned.

• Maintain security clearance to access confidential records to assist in the treatment of clients using electronic health records systems such as CPRS and BHDP.
• Work under the supervision of psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers to help administer mental health care to service members.
• Conduct intake interviews and counsel patients to ensure they get the treatment they need to be productive and healthy members of the Army.
• Assist fellow soldiers learn to manage any existing mental health conditions, behavior problems, with drugs and alcohol, and stresses that arise as part of Army service.
• Utilize mental health screen tools to include the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory and the PCL-5.
• Perform administrative tasks to include appointment check-in, maintain supply record to ensure supplies are always readily available in the clinic, and answer incoming calls.
• Analyzed diverse behavioral and social science data by using appropriate analytical procedures and other methods provided by licensed clinic staff to determine mental health trends among active-duty service members.
• Interpreted results of analyses to reach meaningful conclusions and recommendations to present during monthly staff meetings and prepare presentations for briefings with active-duty service members.