I graduated undergraduate school in 1978 with a BA in Sociology. After graduation I worked for 4 years as a Teacher Associate for the Paterson Board of Education, an urban city in Paterson, NJ. Later I was certrified as a Substance Abuse Counselor and worked as a direct care counselor and supervisor for about 15 years in NJ and in the state of WV. In 2000 I moved to the Greater Philadelphia area and I have worked directly with the Homeless/ Mental Health consumers sincen2001. I have over twenty years of counseling and supervisory experience working with the mental health and substance abuse population. I enrolled in graduate school in 2007 and graduated with a Masters in Liberal Studies January 2011.