Educator, Trainer Clinician
Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership Studies Master of Science in Counseling Psychology
NIH-NIDA Funded Researcher of Family Intervention Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Nationally Recognized Trainer in Addictions Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Nationally Published Author in Addictions/Intervention Certified Intervention Professional
Court Expert Witness in Addictions /Intervention Full Member: Association of Intervention Specialists Marriage and Family Therapy Licensure Supervisor
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
Sharing the research and consulting with medication prescribers on the value of SLC6A4 gene relevant to addiction and trauma recovery; provider of ‘Family-Centered Addiction Recovery®’ and ‘Where Families Heal Addiction®’, facilitating with the family as the center of recovery and healing including grief support for families surviving a drug-related death; trained with Robert Rhoton, PsyD in family system trauma techniques; nationally published article Neurobiology-Informed Addiction Recovery in Advances in Addiction & Recovery (NAADAC, 2014); presenter at the NAADAC National Conference 2014, and the Association of Intervention Specialists National Conference 2013, advancing the integration of neurobiology comprehension into the family intervention equation; in 2001 awarded a rare dissertation research grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to study family addiction intervention; expert witness for courts litigating issues of family treatment practices, addiction diagnosis while contributory expertise in settlement $1.5 million case of family intervention malpractice; facilitator for critical update in Association of Intervention Specialists Code of Ethics in 2015; practicing licensed mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist, having been a certified chemical dependency counselor for over 30 years with experience in drug prevention, intervention, and treatment; Full Member of the Association of Intervention Specialists and a Certified Intervention Professional using 15 distinct strategies in helping families; educator and trainer of addiction professionals since 1983 and national NAADAC Education Provider since 2006 to 2021 (addiction counselors); Washington State-approved marriage and family licensure supervisor since 2008; author of research-grounded concepts, skills, and objectives for the articulation of family intervention granted provisional patent in 2005; national internet radio talk show host for Overcoming Addiction: Hope with Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment with Dr. Joe, on the Voice America network (2.5 million listeners) in 2013-14; Graduate Fellowship Award, Eastern Washington University in 1979; Who’s Who Among Students In American Colleges and Universities, 1976-77; author of training curricula for school teachers, social workers, and drug counselors with parts adopted across the U.S. from Seattle to Georgia.
POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION:
2005: Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership Studies, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA
1982: Additional graduate study in Clinical Psychology, Eastern Washington University
1981: Master of Science in Counseling Psychology, Eastern Washington University
1978: Certificate in Alcohol Studies, Eastern Washington University
1977: Bachelor of Arts in Education, Minor in Psychology, Central Washington University
COUNSELING EXPERIENCE (In Spokane, Washington, unless otherwise noted):
2001 to present: Family Therapist; Intervention Specialists, LLC: providing intervention and
Family-Centered Addiction Recovery®, Where Families Heal Addiction®, counseling for the family together with the loved-one with addiction/mental illness—before, during, and after primary treatment, including facilitating healing for families experiencing grief from loss to a drug death
2016-2017: Consultant to Consistent Care Program, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Emergency Department, coordinating care with family intervention services to reduce repeat drug crisis admissions to the emergency department; D. Neven, MD
2010 – 2015: Owner and administrator of Harmony Grove Counseling, Inc., a state certified
outpatient chemical dependency treatment center. (Closed January, 2015; in good
standing with State of Washington Department of Social and Health Services, Division
of Behavioral Health and Recovery)
1988 – 1996: Drug, Family, and Intervention Counselor; part-time private practice
1985 – 1988: Drug and Family Counselor, Center for Drug Treatment; specialized in
working with families affected by addiction using a family systems approach and providing interventions; established programs for adult children of addicted families at this state-certified treatment agency. (No longer in existence.)
1982 – 1985: Clinical Director, Counselor and Alcohol/Drug Information School
Instructor & Coordinator, Community Alcohol Center; developed many of the aftercare groups providing innovative and responsive treatment programs for drug users and their families including groups for children; conducted family interventions; responsible for supervising eight clinical staff; coordinated the largest alcohol/drug information school in Eastern Washington at this state-certified treatment center.
1981: Alcoholism Counselor, Pioneer Cooperative of Seattle at Geiger Pre-Release Corrections Facility; provided pre-release evaluations, treatment, and referral for incarcerated inmates as part of a statewide correctional addiction network
1979 – 1980: Practicum Counselor, University Counseling Center, Eastern Washington University
1977 – 1981: Psychiatric Technician, Sacred Heart Medical Center Psychiatric Unit; working with all psychiatric diagnoses and a variety of treatment innovations
EXPERT WITNESS
2011 to present: Expert witness to courts on issues of addiction diagnosis and family
intervention from Spokane to Minneapolis; critical toward settling a case filed for $1.5 million regarding family intervention malpractice
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS
National:
2016 to present: Master Addiction Counselor under the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (No: 509960)
2014 to present: Certified Intervention Professional (Issued by the PCB: no. I-0188
(One of the very few in the Pacific Northwest.)
2006 – 2014: Board Registered Interventionist-I: Association of Intervention Specialists Credentialing Board (no. 26017 through IAODAPCA). (Credentialing board discontinued in 2014 and transferred responsibility to PCB.)
2006 to 2021: National Association of Addiction and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) Approved Education Provider (no: 90662)
2006 to present: Full-member: Association of Intervention Specialists
State of Washington:
2009 to present: Approved supervisor for Washington State Marriage and Family
Therapist licensure
1989 to present: Certificated from 1988, then licensed under law since 2001:
Marriage and Family Therapist (no. LF00001053)
Mental Health Counselor (no. LH00005453)
1983 -2014:
Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor III, through the Chemical Dependency Counselor Certification Board, Washington State
(no. CB 20000262, Certification Board discontinued operation in 2014)
1977 – 2005: Standard Teacher Certificate; endorsements in K-12 Special
Education, K-8 Elementary Education, 4-12 Psychology
AWARDS:
2003: Nominated for a Chase Youth Commission Award, Spokane
1979: Graduate Fellowship Award, Applied Psychology Department, Eastern Washington University
1976 – 77: Who’s Who Among Students In American Colleges and Universities, Education, Central Washington University
RESEARCH:
2001: Awarded: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Dissertation Research Grant. Title: The Use and Perceived Efficacy of Family-Initiated Drug Intervention Strategies in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho
1984: Variability Among Assessment Counselors In Identifying Significant Alcohol Problems Within A Single Agency; unpublished
1980: Disparity Between Identifiable Alcohol Problems And Post-Discharge Referral To Treatment Services In Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Care Center; unpublished
WRITING CREDITS:
2019: Having written and implemented curriculum for family-centered services for addiction in 2005, granted servicemark/trademark for Family-Centered Addiction Recovery®, supporting the family in developing the skills for being the center of healing and recovery addressing sobriety, complicated grief, and trauma
2018: Developer and author of Where Families Heal Addiction®
2015-6: Authored the rewrite draft of the remuneration principle for the Association of Intervention Specialists Code of Ethics and ushered it through the consensus and approval process to include specific prohibition of contingency fees for family intervention services
2014: Neurobiology-Informed Responsive Addiction Treatment: One Therapist’s Experience, in Advances in Addiction & Recovery (NAADAC), Summer, 2014.
2014: The Neurobiology Of Addiction: Why People Use Drugs and How To Help Them Quit, Video Produced by Silvertop Productions, Spokane, WA,
2005: Doctoral Dissertation: The Use and Perceived Efficacy of Family-Initiated Drug Intervention Strategies in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, Gonzaga University
2005: Coauthor With Michael Smith, J.D. of Provisional and Final Patent Applications: Systems And Methods For Research-Grounded Concepts And Objectives Articulating A Counselor-Facilitated Process With A Recipient’s Social Network To Present Thoughts And Feelings For Motivating The Person To Seek Alcohol Or Other Drug Treatment. This application, Serial Number 11/241,448 filed September 29, 2005, claims the benefit of U.S. Application 60/595,811; filed August 8, 2005 under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), provisional patent granted.
2003: Author: Research-Grounded Concepts and Theoretical Support Articulating the Johnson Institute-Style Family Intervention, unpublished
1997: A Parent’s Projections; Very Young Children with Special Needs: A formative Approach
For The 21st Century. Howard, V. F., Williams, B. F., Port, P.D., Lepper, C. Merrill-
Prentice Hall: New Jersey
1993: Coauthor with Patsy Etter, M.S.: Taking The Next Step: Drug-Free Schools Prevention
Training For Rural and Remote Schools; these five-credit graduate/undergraduate
courses educated rural and remote school district personnel in establishing and
maintaining prevention programs; funded by Drug-Free Schools, U.S. Department of
Education
1993 -1994: Freelance reviewer; Alcohol/drug education text manuscripts pre-publication
for Allyn and Bacon: Simon and Schuster Education Group
1993: Co-author with Ben Camp, M.S.: MICA Case Management: A Curriculum Model; college curriculum model developed for the Washington Mental Health Division and the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DSHS); parts of this model were adopted by two states providing programmatic curriculum structure for educating personnel in effective case management of co-occurring mental and chemical use disorders; parts adopted in two additional states
1991: Principal author with Keetjie Ramo, Ph.D.: Working With Addiction; staff-training curriculum developed for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services for use statewide; effective in raising field staff competence identifying and intervening with alcohol/drug problems with social service clientele; revised and updated in 1993; used to train nearly 1,000 field staff 1991-92; parts of this curriculum adopted in other states
COLLEGE TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
Spokane Falls Community College
2004 – 2011: Adjunct instructor, Chemical Dependency Program
Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Washington:
2000 – 2002: Adjunct instructor; Alcohol/Drug Studies Program
Teaching strengths in pharmacology, ethics, prevention
1990 – 1996: Director and Faculty Associate of Alcohol/Drug Studies; expanded the program enrollment by 75% on an 18% budget increase; managed campus and off-campus programs in five cities in Eastern Washington; participated in securing one third of a million dollars in grants and contracts while adding novel programs including an academic minor in community prevention in 1993
1984 – 1990: Adjunct and Faculty Field Instructor; Alcohol/ Drug Studies Program
NOTABLE TRAININGS CONDUCTED (In Spokane, Washington, unless otherwise noted):
Addictions and Prevention:
2017: Supporting Families in Addiction Recovery: Checking Genetics, Grief, and Trauma, 6.5 hours
IEEC Spokane:
2017: Neurobiology –Informed Treatment and Motivation: Beyond
PAWS, for Compass Behavioral Health, 6.5 hour training in Everett, Washington
2016 and 2017: Title 26 Family Law Guardian ad Litem Training: What a Guardian Ad
Litem Should Know About Chemical Abuse/Dependency and Mental Health
2015: Adaptation of Family Addiction Intervention Strategies for Emergency Room Counselors, Providence/Sacred Heart Medical Center Emergency Room Staff, November 2, 2015
2014: Neurobiology –Informed Treatment and Motivation: Beyond PAWS. NAADAC National Conference, Seattle, September 27, 2014
2014: Neurobiology –Informed Treatment and Motivation: Beyond PAWS. Spokane, May 16, 2014 sponsored by Inland Empire Education Consortium.
2013: Presented at the Association of Intervention Specialists National Fall Conference,
Palm Desert, California, October 31, 2013:
Neurobiology-Informed Addiction Intervention and Treatment (4 hour)
Delineating Abuse From Addiction In The Age Of DSM-5 (1.5 hour)
2013: Neurobiology-Informed Opioid Addiction Intervention and Treatment: Beyond
PAWS for the nurses and clinical staff of Spokane Treatment Alternatives,
September 12, 2013)
2010: Update on Family Intervention and Family-Centered Addiction Treatment to the
Spokane Substance Abuse Advisory Board
2009: A Research Basis for Delineating Substance Abuse from Addiction for
College Chemical Dependency Instructors. Presented to Eastern Washington University faculty of the Alcohol/Drug Studies Program; NAADAC approved
2009: Research Supported Strategies of Family Intervention for Addiction. Presented to Washington State Psychological Association at their winter meeting, approved for continuing education credit for state licensed psychologists
2008: What’s New With Family Intervention: Research Enlightened Approaches for Helping Someone Enter Treatment; May 2 and 9 in Kennewick and Spokane, Washington. Approved by Washington Mental Health Counselors Assoc. and
Washington Marriage and Family Therapists Assoc. and NAADAC
2005, 2007-08: Trainer for Case Management for Adults and Older Adults with Co-occurring Mental and Substance Disorders; Linking & Quality Improvement, conducted by the Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research & Training, Western State Hospital and Spokane
2002: Theory and Logic in Prevention Program Evaluation; to the Prevention Roundtable, Spokane County Community Services
2000 – 1996: Designer and facilitator of the Ethics Forum in Chemical Dependency
Practice, NAADAC-Approved ethics training
2000: Intervention: A Life-Saving Bridge Between The Neurological Impact of Drug Use/Eating Disorders And Treatment. Presented to the staff at The Center, Edmonds, Washington
1990: Skills and Procedures for Intervening with Impaired Employees; for Arby’s
Restaurants supervisors; in association with Mountain View Hospital
1989: Assisting Students Affected by Someone Else’s Drug and Alcohol Use; for the Kootenai County Community Drug Intervention Council, Idaho
1985: Applying Current Research in Identifying Alcoholism at the Community Health Nurses Association State Conference on Alcoholism, Spokane
1985: Mapping the COA Roles of Members in an Addicted Family at the U.S. Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence-Regional Conference, Seattle
1984 – 1986: Various trainings on pharmacology and ACoA for Washington State Bureau of Alcohol and Substance Abuse and the Alcohol Professional Staff Society of Washington
1984 – 1987: Various trainings (conducted more than 30) for community groups and schools on drugs/alcohol and psychiatric issues: Spokane School District # 81; Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council; and Big Brothers and Sisters; et al.
ELECTRONIC MEDIA:
2013-2014: National internet radio talk show host for Overcoming Addiction: Hope with
Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment with Dr. Joe on the Voice America network in 2013-14
SPECIALIZED CERTIFICATES:
Addictions and Prevention:
2002: Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training Certificate; issued by WESTCAPT, University of Nevada-Reno
1992: Certified HIV/AIDS Trainer; Washington State Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse
1990: Prevention Specialist Certificate; National Training Systems and the Washington State Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse
1983, 1985: Alcohol/Drug Information School Instructor; Washington State Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse
SIGNIFICANT COMMITTEE WORK:
Intervention:
2016: Participated in the AIS Strategic Planning Process for the Association of Intervention
Specialists, revising and updating from the 2011strategic plan
2016: Initiated and facilitated consideration, generation, and ratification of new code of ethics item for family interventionists by the Association of Intervention Specialists
2016: Proposed and contributed to a definition of family intervention generalizable across various strategies and models for the Association of Intervention Specialists
2012: Committee member writing test items for national intervention specialist certification exam, under auspices of the Pennsylvania Certification Board
Prevention:
2005: Addiction Educators Student Exercise Workgroup for Oregon Practice Improvement Collaborative-Oregon Health and Science University, Northwest Frontier Addiction Technology Transfer Center, Oregon Health & Science University
2002 – 2003: Washington State Prevention Specialist Certification Board; founding member
2001: College Academic Minor in Prevention Focus Group: Hosted by WESTCAPT,
University of Nevada-Reno; reviewed content and configuration of a modal academic minor
1994 – 1996: Member of the Washington Prevention Professionals; founding chair
1994: Consultant to the Spokane County Health District, Subcommittee on Sales
and Consumption of Alcohol at Public Facilities
1993 – 1995: Educational Service District #101 Alcohol/Drug Prevention Program Advisory Committee; member
1992-1994: Committee member, advocate, and contributing author of Washington State Legislature ESSHB 2319, Birth to Six Interagency Coordinating Council Establishment Law; passed in 1994
Counseling:
1990 – 1996: Member of the Northwest Consortium of Chemical Dependency Educators; Secretary 1992-1993; initiated a novel process for the development and ratification of model curricula for advanced courses
NOTABLE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
2008: Special Olympics of Washington: East Region Coach of the Year
2001 to present: Legal guardian of two adults with disabilities, in addition to power of attorney, and personal representative for the Will of an elderly woman with a child with disability.
2007: Assistant Swimming Coach to the US Special Olympics Swim Team to World Games in Shanghai, China
2006: Two effective submerged-victim swim pool water rescues with resuscitation.
1986: Search, found, and help with helicopter evacuation or rural auto crash victim.
1980: Discovered and photographed the only known and beautiful waterfall flowing directly into Lake Coeur d’Alene, flowing from hidden locale one mile deep in the hills.