Mental Health Human Resources

To Whom It May Concern

I am writing to you in hopes of obtaining a position at your esteemed agency. I earned a Master’s of Education with a degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and the degree of Licensed Professional Counselor (LPCC).

I am focused on working with your organization due to your distinction in working with those seeking mental health care in an equitable and accessible manner, through way of providing assessment and connecting families to the appropriate level of care. I am uniquely credentialed for this role, and have ample experience with digital rendering of services.

I have ample experience in providing financial and human resources direction to multiple NGOs in the mental health and addiction, recovery world. I have an additional credential and supervision and additional training and personnel management. Furthermore, as someone with lived experiences of trafficking who has managed to reach the other side, I offer a unique insight and vantage point into this important work. I am skilled with multiple payroll digital services and have set up software accounts and even created my own software in certain instances to manage employees. My u nique background and Counseling allows for advanced interpersonal skills and communication.

I have additional assessment training and EMDR therapy credentialing. Furthermore, I have obtained thousands of direct service clinical hours working as a counselor and advocate for adolescents and children (as well as their families) impacted by complex trauma. I have worked with sex trafficking survivors; I have also worked with chronic sexual abuse survivors. I believe that I possess a strong academic foundation, having graduated Cum Summa Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and maintaining a 4.0 GPA in my graduate coursework. I have set in numerous leadership positions and hold two advanced academic degrees matched by passion and compassion for the folx from whom I am brave enough to learn and grow. I have attended trainings and workshops addressing the issue of trauma treatment and human trafficking, and involved myself in independent research studies to empower human trafficking survivors. I have provided CEU credits, presented to graduate student therapists about human trafficking, aiming to arm future clinicians with resources and knowledge. I have also presented internationally on human trafficking and collaborated with other survivor-leaders across the country. Thus, I would welcome any opportunity to (in person or virtually in this pandemic-world) meet with you to further discuss my candidacy doing such meaningful work each day. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Marissa Marie Gray, MsEd, LPCC

Marissa Gray

164 Larimar, Willowick, OH 330-***-**** ad3bk3@r.postjobfree.com Objective

Seeking a position as Director of Development working with human trafficking/survivors of trauma as well as those living with mental health and substance abuse concerns Education

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Sept.. 2022 Chemical Dependency Counseling Assistant Sept. 2019 Licensed Professional Counselor - Sept. 2019

Masters of Science in Education Aug. 2019

Youngstown State University - Youngstown, OH

Major: Clinical Mental Health/Addictions Counseling GPA: 4.0/4.0 (Summa Cum Laude)

Bachelor of Arts May 2017

Youngstown State University - Youngstown, OH (Honors College) Coursework

Orientation and Ethics Counseling Theory Trauma Treatment Addiction Counseling & Treatment Counseling Children and Adolescent Diagnosis of Mental Disorders Social and Cultural Issues Supervision and Case Conceptualization Counseling Practicum/Internship Career Related Experience

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practicum Summer 2018 Community Counseling Clinic. Youngstown, OH

● Worked with assigned clients individually and in group settings Clinical Mental Health Counselor

August 2018 - 2021

Youth Intensive Services-Residential Treatment Facility, Youngstown, OH Hired by Youth Intensive Services

Restoring Hope Counseling-2021-Present Day

Beech Brook-2021 - Present Day

Gracehaven

Chrysalis Health Care

● Individual counselor, advocate, and group counselor for the residents at YIS treatment facility. Residents are adolescent females who resiliently have survived often complex trauma situations and/or ongoing substance use. Had the privilege of working mostly with sex trafficked youth; also worked with chronic sexual abuse survivors, and sexually-reactive youth as a counselor and advocate assisting these brave young women their recovery journeys

● Trauma-focused treatment, trauma-focused group work, family therapy, integration of EMDR and play therapeutic approaches, exposure therapy and creative outing sessions, animal-assisted treatment, case management, independent living coordination, trafficking-specific interventions and creative approaches, assessment/diagnosing, treatment planning etc.

Psychiatric Intake Response Center (PIRC)-Akron Children’s Hospital-Emergency Department 1. Provides crisis stabilization and assessment to children and family across Northeast Ohio including holistic biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment and referral to appropriate treatment and level of care

2. Worked with Emergency Department and Social Work to overhaul and re-organize trafficking protocol and information for families. Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) - December 2022 Work towards supervisory credential began December 2022 Board Advisory and Fundraising Chair for Walnut Grove Community Park and Adaptive Sports Center Foundation in Mahoning Valley

CEO of No More Night human trafficking street out reach in Northeast Ohio Publications/Presentations

Kress, V. E., & Marie, M. (2019). Safety apps for human trafficking/intimate partner violence Counseling Today, 62(4), 40-44.

Professional Development trainings held at YIS on human trafficking and trauma-informed approaches Presentation at Ohio Counseling Association & Ohio Statehouse Human Trafficking Summit, International Human Trafficking Summit

Volunteer Activities

Founder/CEO No More Night

● Worked with both the street outreach and drop-in center teams to reach trafficked women while in “the life” and offer freedom and hope. Orchestrated support group and CEU training in school and medical providers

Reaching For the Shining Starz

Board Member

Out of Darkness/ORRIN

● Worked with the team to extricate trafficking survivors from abusive situations, place them in safe situations, and provide mentorship and support in their recovery journeys Haven Clinic for Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking

1. Serve as a board member for the clinic informed a survivor-informed and focused approach throughout the continuum of care

YWCA. Youngstown, OH October 2016-Present

● Organized annual collection of ~$1000 for the homeless and at-risk adolescent housing program; donations provided gift cards as Christmas gifts for the adolescents housed in program United Way of Mahoning Valley Success After Six Program September 2015 - August 2018

● Tutor and lead activities with at-risk students to improve student outcomes; also acted as a spokesperson for the program to galvanize donations from sponsors, donors, and community Youngstown State’s annual Mental Health Day April 2018 - Present

● Volunteer Student Speaker

o Presented and led group discussion on sex-trafficking and trauma-informed care Rape, Abuse, Incest Network (RAINN Hotline) - Crisis Text Line Volunteer Crisis Counselor (Level 5 counselor) (741741 text-in hotline) December 2018 - Present

● Volunteer over 200 hours as a live-chat crisis counselor working with texters who are in crisis including instances of suicidal ideation, domestic violence, sexual assault, homelessness, self-harm, grief, child abuse, and many instances of human trafficking Support/Volunteer for Making Kids Count April 2018 Summer Festival of the Arts annual volunteer to coordinate local art festival on YSU campus Advocated/raised awareness efforts for local survivors of sexual violence (YSU-Take Back the Night) Worked with Women’s History Month Planning Committee for YSU programming of events Spoke with Senator Rob Portman as a survivor advocate for those impacted by human trafficking; spoke with the Senator about supporting specific legislations targeting cyber networks rife with trafficking, expunging the records of sex trafficking survivors, funding peer and professional recovery programs, promoting awareness and education among educational and healthcare systems, and providing clemency and treatment, rather than punitive measures (i.e. solicitation charges, opioid-related charges, vagrancy, etc.) for survivors of sex trafficking acting at the behest or exploitation of their traffickers Honors

AP Scholar with Distinction-American College Board Runner-Up Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference with a feminist literary critique of Hamlet’s Ophelia Leslie Cochran Scholar (undergraduate)/Youngstown State Graduate Studies Scholarship (Fall 2017) President’s List (all semesters enrolled at YSU)

Inducted into Chi Sigma Iota (Spring 2018)

Elected to serve as Treasurer In Chi Sigma Iota Fall 2018 - Summer 2019 Presented twice at YSU QUEST (Research Summit) on sex trafficking, awareness, advocacy, compassion, and empowerment in treatment for this resilient and courageous population Additional Strengths

Very proficient in Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Powerpoint/SafeZone & First Aid/CPR Certified Presented research findings at professional conferences in both literature and counseling fields Written/submitted an article Counseling Today regarding advocacy for sex trafficking & domestic violence survivors via technological applications

Have a deep passion for serving clients and walking alongside them on the road to recovery

Contact this candidate