Professional Associations

Grief Support Network (GSN)

National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

Association for Play Therapy (APT)

American Deafness and Rehabilitation Association (ADARA)


Awards and accomplishments

ADARA Program committee for 2007 National Conference – responsible for CEU’s and evaluations
Nominated for Margo Award for KU School of Social Worker Outstanding Field Instructor 2004 – 2005 school year,
2005 – 2006 school year


Additional training, Workshops, Trainings attended
(as of July 31, 2009)

Social Work CEU’s Workshops, Trainings attended (as of July 31, 2009)

Ethically and Practically Speaking: Managing Your Malpractice Riak as a Social Worker, Understanding the Kansas Laws Affecting Practice, KNASW BSRS # 02-013, April 24, 2009 6.5 CEU hours ETHICS

Association of Play Therapy International Conference, Dallas, TX, October 19-22, 2008 14.0 hours
Playing it Safe: Ethical Issues in Play Therapy 3.0 ETHICS PLAY THERAPY
Moving from the COW to the NOW: Principle Driven Supervision 3.0
In Harm’s Way: Military Families 3.0
Meaning and Metaphor: Understanding Client Art in Play Therapy 2.0
??? I’m missing one session

Supervising Play Therapists Video Class May 2008, KC Play Therapy Institute APT #99-067, May 13, 2008 6.5 non-contact hours

Diagnosis and Treatment of Attachment Disorder and the Development of a secure Attachment Base, KU School of Social Welfare, November 29 & 30, 2007 9.0 CEU hours – DX

Classroom strategies for preventing disruptive behavior and teaching responsibility: A day of love and logic with Dr. Charles Fay, Love and Logic Institute, November 1, 2007 5.0 CEU hours

Legal issues in Behavioral Health in Kansas, MEDS-PDN, October 8, 2007 6.0 CEU hours

Understanding Psychotropic Medications, KU School of Social Welfare, July 19, 2007 6.0 CEU hours – DX

SPED 798 Communications Strategies for Emerging Language and Sign Language, KU SPED department, July 2007
1.0 graduate hour credit

Sandtrays in Play Therapy, KC Play Therapy Institute, February/March 2007 15.0 CEU hours – RPT

Assessment and Treatment Planning in Play Therapy, KC Play Therapy, December 2006 – January 2007
15.0 hours - RPT

The Association for Play Therapy 23rd Annual Conference, Ontario, Canada, October 10-15, 2006
19.5 hours of Play Therapy training - RPT
Play Therapy Techniques for Anxiety Disorders
Road to Theory: The Journey to Developing a Theoretical Approach in Play Therapy
Play Therapy for Children with ADHD: A Skill Building Approach
Using Play in Family Assessment
Pay therapy: Reflections of the Past and Visions for the Future

Ethical Decision Making in Social Work Practice: The Intersection of Personal and Professional Values, KU School of Social Welfare, October 6, 2006 3.0 CEU hours – Ethics

Stewards of Children, Sunflower House – A child abuse prevention center, September 25, 2006 2.75 CEU hours

Business of Play Therapy, KC Play Therapy Institute June 1&2, 2006 14.0 CEU hours - RPT

Field Instructor for KU Practicum student, KU School of Social Welfare, 2006 – 2007 school year issued May 22, 2006
8.0 CEU hours

Political Social Work: An Introduction, KU School of Social Welfare, February 24, 2006 3.0 CEU hours

Strategies for Managing Common Challenges in the Field, KU School of Social Welfare, February 24, 2006
3.0 CEU hours

The Association for Play Therapy: 22nd Annual Conference, October 4-9, 2005
31.5 hours of Play Therapy training - RPT

Partners in the Sand: Adlerian Applications of Sand Tray Play Therapy
Play’s the thing: Diversity and Universality of Play Across Cultures
The Use of Play and Expressive Therapies in the Assessment and Treatment of Children
Culturally Conscious Adolescent Play Therapy Interventions
Play Therapy for Sexually Abused Children
Children and Grief: A Developmental Perspective
Play Therapy in the Courtroom
Developing a Successful Play Therapy Practice
Skill-building with the ADHD Child: A Play Therapy Approach

New Field Instructor Orientation, KU School of Social Welfare, August 11, 2005

Ethical Decision Making with Children, KU School of Social Welfare, June 23, 2005

The X Factor: Grief after the Loss of an Ex-spouse, Grief Support Network, June 1, 2005

ASL/English Bilingual Professional Development, Center for ASL/English Bilingual Education and Research, 96 hours of in-service education, 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 school year

Social Work Day, KU School of Social Welfare, April 22, 2005

Critical Incident Stress Management: Individual Crisis Intervention and Peer Support, International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, April 11-12, 2005

Complicating the Notion of Complicated Grief: A Provocative Look at Complicated Mourning, Grief Support Network, April 1, 2005

Cochlear Implant discussion, Kansas School for the Deaf, March 28, 2005

Marriage: Theory and Therapy, JCCC Center for Business and Technology, March 18, 2005

Kansas Statewide Interpreters Conference, March 12, 2005
8.0 CEU hours
Keynote Speech
Misdemeanor Law
Culturally-Rich ASL – Part 1 and 2

National Counselors of the Deaf Association Annual Conference, March 3-5, 2005
12.5 hours

Supporting Loved Ones of a Dying Patient in the Hospital Setting – Before, At and After Death, Grief Support Network, February 4, 2005

Communication in the Workplace, JCCC Interpreter In-service, January 11, 2005

6th Annual Play Therapy Conference, KC Play Therapy Institute, November 11&12, 2004

New Field Instructor Orientation, KU School of Social Welfare, August 12, 2004

Communications in Gestures I and II, Gallaudet University Regional Center/JCCC, July 19-23, 2004

Storytelling Celebration 2004, Gallaudet University Regional Center/JCCC, April 22, 2004

What’s Your Sign for Pizza?, Gallaudet University Regional Center/JCCC, March 15, 2004

Diagnosis and Treatment of Complicated Grief, JCCC, February 27, 2004

Anger Control Made Easy, Cross Country University, January 20, 2004

Capital D little D deaf: Implications to Adjustment, GURC, October 3, 2003

Interpersonal Conflict Resolution and Mediation Training, Community Mediation Center, September 9-13, 2003

Fishing for Ourselves, Our Peers and Our Profession: Postsecondary Interpreter Conference, JCCC, August 7-8, 2003

Signs for the 21st Century, Gallaudet University Regional Center/Johnson County Community College, June 14, 2003

KU School of Social Welfare Field Instructor, 6 CEU’s August 2002 – May 2003

Grief and Loss: New Considerations for Effective Counseling, Cross Country Seminars, Topeka, KS, April 3, 2003

Process Dimensions in Play Therapy And Meaning in Children’s Play, Speaker-Gary Landreth, University of Missouri, March 14, 2003

O.I.L.: Old Interpreter’s Lab, RSA7 Interpreter Training Partnership/Johnson County Community College, February 8 & 15, 2003

HIPPAA Guidelines and Compliance, Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc, January 29, 2003 and March 27, 2003

Interpersonal Conflict Resolution and Mediation Skills, Community Mediation Center, Independence, MO September 9-13, 2002 40 hours

New Field Instructor Orientation, KKU School of Social Welfare, August 19, 2002

Interpreter In-service/Roundtable, JCCC, August 7, 2002

Teaming Effectively in Postsecondary Settings, RSA7 Interpreter Training Partnership/Johnson County Community College, August 7, 2002

KU School of Social Welfare Field Instructor, 6 CEU’s August 2001 – May 2002

The Angry Client: Evaluation and Treatment, Kansas City, MO, April 30, 2002

Diverse Voices, One Goal; PEPNet 2002, Kansas City, MO, April 10-13, 2002

The Ethics of Professional Boundaries, University of Kansas/Edwards Campus, March 29, 2002

Anger Management from Beginning to Group University of Kansas/Edwards Campus, March 28, 2002

Advances In Treating Complex Psychological Trauma and PTSD, Kansas City, MO, February 7, 2002

Mental Health Services with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, William Woods University, MO, June 1, 2001

Bowen Family Systems: A Clinical Seminar, Prairie Village, KS, and October 2000 to May 2001

Successful Communication Skills for Women, Olathe, KS, April 11, 2001

Cultural Differences in Mental Health Treatment, Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc., Independence, MO, April 2, 2001

Crisis Intervention: Assessing and Evaluating Psychiatric Emergencies, New Directions and Health Midwest, March 23, 2001

Considerations in Counseling African Americans, Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc., Independence, MO January 24, 2001

The Evolution of Family Therapy Practice, The Menninger Clinic, October 20-21, 2000

National Educational Interpreting Conference, Regional Interpreter Training Project/JCCC, August 4-5, 2000

Breakout VI – Innovations in Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Deafness Conference, May 11-13, 2000

Developing Healthy Boundaries, JCCC Center for Professional Education, November 16, 1999

Dealing with Upset People, JCCC Center for Professional Education, November 12, 1999

When Mental Health Issues Impact Legal Issues, The Johnson County Bar Association, September 23, 1999

Simply Put Psychopharmacology: The Mood Disorders, JCCC Center for Professional Education, September 9, 1999

Mental Health Interpreter’s Resource Project, Missouri Department of Mental Health, March 23 – March 27, 1999


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Heading Level 3

If you are a new client:
You will need to fill out some paperwork prior to the first visit. Please download the appropriate forms now. We will go over them at your first visit, which usually lasts about an hour. Subsequent visits are 45-50 minutes.

My specialty areas include:

  • Play Therapy
  • Grief and Loss
  • Fluent in American Sign Language

Topics I often see in therapy are:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Grief and loss
  • Losses throughout the life span

 

Heading Level 3

Thought Bubbles!

So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy…

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.