Arlington, Massachusetts, United States
DBA Outlook Associates of New England
I have been a clinical social worker and psychotherapist for over 30 years. I have worked in a variety of settings including psychiatric inpatient programs, addiction outpatient programs, community mental health programs, residential programs for individuals who have been homeless and had co-occurring disorders (mental illness/addictions), the court system and correctional facilities. In those settings I also did a lot of work with individuals who had addiction issues. I am currently in private practice and I specialize in anger management as well as addictions and other mental health concerns.
Here’s a bit of what we can cover in our PivotPlanet session(s):
• The values of social work and how it is different from other
helping professions.
• How to assess your interests and aptitude for social work and
working in the addictions field
• How to explore those interests.
• What to consider when applying for a graduate degree
I actually came to the field of social work and addictions in an indirect way. I received my bachelor's degree in international politics from Georgetown University and worked in a refugee camp in the Philippines with Vietnamese refugees after getting my degree. I then spent some time in Washington, DC working on migration issues for an international organization. I began to do some volunteer teaching in a prison which got me interested in wanting help others in a more direct way and I received my Masters in Social Work (MSW). While I was in graduate school, I had a part-time job in an alcohol treatment agency administering a questionnaire assessing an individuals problems with alcohol use which began my interest in working with individuals with substance use disorders.
I have given numerous trainings locally as well as nationally and internationally on the treatment of anger management problems as well as workplace conflict, chemical addictions and stress management. I was interviewed a couple of years ago by The Wall Street Journal on the topic of working with people with anger control issues. I was also involved with the Massachusetts Medical Society on developing a program for disruptive physicians. In addition, I have been a lecturer at the Boston University Graduate School of Social Work since 2013.