Category: ARTS

         CO- FOUNDER/THERAPIST AND TEACHING ARTIST       Summary     Mental Health Counselor specializing in  Art and Play Therapies . Responsible self-starter who communicates well and is dedicated to improving the well-being of clients.  Mental health professional driven to help others overcome personal obstacles. Comfortable working autonomously or in a team-based setting.    Clinically certified Mental Health Therapist skilled at motivating, communicating and advocating for clients dealing with mental health and emotional disorders. Expert in DBT and psychotherapy.   Seasoned mental health practitioner with demonstrated track record of successfully working with diverse client populations in one-on-one and group settings.   Skilled Therapist with expertise on the identification and management of youth mental illnesses. Seasoned mental health practitioner with demonstrated track record of successfully working with diverse client populations in one-on-one and group settings.   Mental health professional driven to help others overcome personal obstacles. Comfortable working autonomously or in a team-based setting.         Skills          Knowledge of the ins and outs of Child Protective Services (CPS)   Practiced in family assessments     Family therapy aptitude       Therapeutic expertise         Specialized training in grief counseling           Family therapy background             Parenting skills educator         Community resources specialist  Suicide precautions expertise  Suicide risk assessments      Suicide risk assessments  Superior communication skills   Medicaid familiarity    Psychiatric population familiarity  Outreach programming specialist  Solution-focused counseling   Extensive DSM-IV knowledge    Clinical documentation mastery  Exceptional problem solver  Member of the National Association of Social Workers (N.A.S.W.)  Mood disorders specialist  Dual diagnosis expertise            Experience     August 2014   to   October 2015     Company Name   City  ,   State     Co- Founder/Therapist and Teaching Artist       Served as lead clinician for patients with bipolar, depression, anxiety and personality disorders.    Referenced and used various therapy techniques, including psychodynamic, family systems, cognitive behavioral and lifespan integration psychotherapy.    Consulted with and developed appropriate treatment and rehabilitation plans for dually diagnosed patients.    Recorded comprehensive patient histories and coordinated treatment plans with multi-disciplinary team members.    Diagnosed mental health, emotional and substance abuse disorders.    Executed appropriate risk-assessment and mitigation strategies.    Developed comprehensive treatment plans for patients diagnosed with opioid addiction.    Led patients in individual, family, group and marital therapy sessions.    Evaluated patients to determine potential need to transfer to specialized inpatient mental health facilities.    Assisted clients in scheduling home visits and phone calls and monitored effectiveness of these activities.    Guided clients in understanding illnesses and treatment plans.    Developed appropriate policies for the identification of medically-related social and emotional needs of clients.    Created and reviewed master treatment and discharge plans for each client.    Referred clients to other programs and community agencies to enhance treatment processes.    Organized treatment projects that focused on problem solving skills and creative thinking.    Consulted with psychiatrists about client medication changes, issues with medicine compliance and efficacy of medications.    Worked with parents and teachers to implement consistent behavior therapy techniques at home and school.    Taught clients anger management techniques, relaxation skills, impulse control, social skills, emotional coping skills and functional living skills.    Developed comprehensive treatment plans that focused on accurate diagnosis and behavioral treatment of problems.    Interacted with clinical staff and external resources such as school or community personnel.    Collaborated closely with treatment team to appropriately coordinate client care services.    Conducted outreach, advocacy and rehabilitative services for regular cases and crisis intervention.    Documented all patient information including service plans, treatment reports and progress notes.    Efficiently gathered information from families and social services agencies to inform development of treatment plans.    Conducted comprehensive initial in-home psychosocial assessments prior to first wraparound meetings.    Quickly responded to crisis situations when severe mental health and behavioral issues arose.    Effectively managed time and caseloads based on  50  sessions per week.    Checked facility for open windows, locked doors, malfunctioning smoke detectors and other safety hazards.    Charted and recorded information in client files.         June 2012   to   March 2014     Company Name   City  ,   State     CPS Specialist III             August 2008   to   May 2011     Company Name   City  ,   State     Therapist        Effectively managed time and caseloads based on  50  sessions per week.       Charted and recorded information in client files.       Tracked client movement on and off the unit by documenting times and destinations of clients.      Quickly responded to crisis situations when severe mental health and behavioral issues arose.        Conducted comprehensive initial in-home psychosocial assessments prior to first wraparound meetings.        Efficiently gathered information from families and social services agencies to inform development of treatment plans.         Documented all patient information including service plans, treatment reports and progress notes.        Conducted outreach, advocacy and rehabilitative services for regular cases and crisis intervention.        Collaborated closely with treatment team to appropriately coordinate client care services.        Interacted with clinical staff and external resources such as school or community personnel.        Developed comprehensive treatment plans that focused on accurate diagnosis and behavioral treatment of problems.       Taught clients anger management techniques, relaxation skills, impulse control, social skills, emotional coping skills and functional living skills.        Worked with parents and teachers to implement consistent behavior therapy techniques at home and school.        Consulted with psychiatrists about client medication changes, issues with medicine compliance and efficacy of medications.        Organized treatment projects that focused on problem solving skills and creative thinking.        Referred clients to other programs and community agencies to enhance treatment processes.        Created and reviewed master treatment and discharge plans for each client.    Guided clients in understanding illnesses and treatment plans.        Developed appropriate policies for the identification of medically-related social and emotional needs of clients.        Assisted clients in scheduling home visits and phone calls and monitored effectiveness of these activities.        Evaluated patients for psychiatric services and psychotropic medications.    Monitored patients prescribed psychotropic medications to assess the medications' effectiveness and side effects.        Evaluated patients to determine potential need to transfer to specialized inpatient mental health facilities.        Administered medication to patients presenting serious risk of danger to themselves and others.        Conducted psychiatric evaluations and executed medication management for both inpatient and outpatient facilities.        Led patients in individual, family, group and marital therapy sessions.        Developed comprehensive treatment plans for patients diagnosed with opioid addiction.        Executed appropriate risk-assessment and mitigation strategies.    Diagnosed mental health, emotional and substance abuse disorders.             Education and Training     2020     Northcentral University   City  ,   State  ,   USA     Ph.D.  :   Education    Specialization in Special Education       2017     Colorado Technical University   City  ,   State  ,   USA     Master of Science  :   Homeland Security      Specialization in Emergency Management and Public Health      Public Health and Disaster medicine coursework         2012     University of Southern California   City  ,   State  ,   USA     Master of Arts  :   Teaching     Specialization in Multiple Subject Education   Coursework in English as a Second Language, Elementary, and Special Education         2008     University of Pennsylvania   City  ,   State  ,   USA     Masters of  :   Social Work    Specializations in Developmental Disabilities, Macro, and School Social Practice with  Coursework in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling, Human Services,  Marriage and Family Therapy and Child Development            2006     Rutgers University   City  ,   State  ,   USA     Bachelor of Arts  :   Urban Studies      Specializations in Voluntary Action, Civic, and Non-Profit Leadership.      Minor in  Art History   Recipient of James M. Gaffney Award   Member of  Student Government Association, National Coalitions Building Institute Campus Affiliate and the Rotoract  Club                Accomplishments     Effectively managed caseloads of more than  100  clients at any given time.   Member of the National Association of Social Workers (N.A.S.W. since 2008  Won the  Rutgers University  faculty  Urban Studies Research  Award.          Awards     James M. Gaffney Award, 2006           Dissertation      Dissertation: ________________________examines the different approaches to _______________________________.       M.A.T. Thesis: Saxon Math examines the different approaches as to whether a standards based math curriculum is written to met the needs of all students.     Undergraduate Thesis: Developing the Youth of Northern Ireland examines the ways in which Youth are actively engaged in Civil Society in Northern Ireland and the European Union             Publications     Technical Reports:  Oster, K.W. (2012). Saxon Mathematics and its Effects on Learning. M.A.T. Dissertation. Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California.  Oster, K.W. (2006). Developing the Youth of Londonderry.  Undergraduate Dissertation. College of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University.         Skills        Public Relations Software: Bacon's Mediasource, Factiva  Desktop Publishing Software: Photoshop, Illustrator, HTML   Healthcare: intravenous therapy, MEDISOFT, computerized charting, STD counseling, breastfeeding educator People skills: great bedside manner, enthusiastic people person, advanced problem-solving, great organizational skills