Yolanda Pearson Email and Phone Number

Managed case loads and providing therapeutic interventions for high risk adolescents  and young adults with Axis I and Axis II diagnoses involved in juvenile justice system, foster care, or at risk of removal from home placement. Facilitated Family Team Meetings with clinical team members and families to assess consumer's strengths and needs in effort of establishing clinical treatment goals and recommendations for consumers. Responsible for assisting consumer and family with reaching attainable academic and career goals by linking consumer to community, educational, and vocational resources. Responsible for maintaining adequate documentation of progress notes, presentation charts, unusual incident reports, and other records in accordance with the Department of Mental Health guidelines.  Participated in weekly supervision and monthly group supervision with team supervisor and team members. Provided intensive in-home crisis management and stabilization, parental support skills, community resource linkage and implemented treatment plans, referring consumers for psychiatric consultation. Established effective communication with parents and made frequent home visits to support family engagement and monitor behavior plan compliance. Obtained Department of Mental Health specialized training and development in Mandated Reporter Training; Treatment Planning;  CBI Strategies, Techniques, & Interventions; and Engagement, Resiliency, & Cultural Competency.

Assumed full responsibility for managing case loads and providing counseling services for high risk offenders/consumers diagnosed with co-occurring disorders in a 28-day inpatient forensic setting facility.  Served as a test administrator for personality, achievement, and depression assessments: Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), Personality Assessment Screener (PAS), Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III), Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), General Ability Measure for Adults (GAMA), Basic Achievement Skills Inventory (BASI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Conducted group and individual counseling sessions on substance abuse and stress management techniques.  Effectively provided individual and group counseling as well as conducting bio-psychosocial intakes, Addiction Severity Index (ASI), Mental Status Exams, developing progress notes based on behavioral observations and implementing treatment plans, referring consumers for psychiatric consultation.  Assisted clinical psychologists, case managers, community supervision officers, and counselors in Interdisciplinary Team meetings with establishing treatment recommendations for consumers. Obtained specialized training and development in Motivational Interviewing; Psychological Testing; and Understanding Sex Trafficking and Stalking.

Collaborated with various faculty members of the Department of Counseling to support their research efforts.Conducted, collected, and analyzed scholarly research articles for faculty members, developing solutions to address various research questions related to Montessori schools and post graduate studies opportunities. Assisted with some clerical/administrative tasks such as filing students' confidential academic records and documents.Effectively engaged with new and returning students resolving general departmental questions as well as distributing the appropriate documentation for candidacy advancement.Taught school psychology course on interventions for suicide and bullying in the school systems. Served as spokesperson for graduate students at university speaking engagements and advocated on behalf of graduate students needs and concerns. Participated in various committees and work team groups on university policies and procedures. Served as an active member on university shared governance committee, appointed chairpersons to standing committees and delegated assignments to board members as well as oversees all graduate activities.Responsible for providing superior service to graduate students in compliance with the university's policies and procedures and university core values. Responsible for maintaining an accurate account of graduate organization's budget totaling about $140,000 each fiscal year.

Assisted clinician with implementation of a mandated court ordered behavioral treatment plan with adolescents and their parent/guardians.Implemented effective behavioral modification and intervention for adolescents and parents in diverse populations.Effectively taught parents and children strategies to implement behavioral goals to achieve age-appropriate communication and life skills.Facilitated family team meetings and provided day-to-day direct supervision and positive engagement of youth and family.  Responsible for documenting clients' weekly progress reports and assessments while modifying goals as clinically necessary under supervision of the licensed clinician.