Cover Letter Substance Abuse

Cover Letter *******

Dear

I am currently exploring employment

opportunities in and around Lexington

Kentucky. As the following brief synopsis

i ndicates, my academic achievements all took

p lace in Lexington, while the majority of my

p rofessional experience has taken place in

North Carolina and Virginia. Since October of

2012 I have been on family medical leave,

l iving in Owensboro and (along with my two

siblings) providing care for my elderly mother.

W hile my mother' health was failing from

October 2012 to May 2013, with our help, she

was still relatively independent. However she

experienced a significant CVA in on May 28,

2013 and has been either hospitalized or an

i npatient in a local Rehabilitation facility

Cover Letter 8292013

since then. While we still anticipate a positive

long term prognosis, currently her progress

appears to have plateaued. Given this

situation, I am exploring employment

opportunities in And around Lexington, as

well as in and around Richmond Virginia. I

have attached a current CV, but also provide

t he following brief synopsis of my career to

t his point. While I am currently a Licensed

C linical Psychologist in Virginia, I have been

l icensed in Kentucky and North Carolina as

well. While I doubt that I will meet the

c riteria for reciprocal licensure, I don't

anticipate any difficulty obtaining a license

as soon as my employment situation indicates

t he necessity to do so.

Cover Letter 8292013

As mentioned above, my academic work was

a ll done in Kentucky. My undergraduate

degree is from Transylvania University with

a double major in Biology and Pre-Med

S tudies. My Masters and PhD are from the

U niversity of Kentucky's APA approved

Counseling Psychology program. I worked at

Eastern State Hospital and Bluegrass

Comprehensive Care while earning my

M asters Degree.

I n 1986 I relocated to Durham North

Carolina when my wife was accepted in the

Behavioral Medicine In ternship at Duke

U niversity. While in North Carolina I worked

Cover Letter 8292013

for five years as a master's level psychologist

on the Adult Admissions Unit at John

U mstead Hospital in Butner North Carolina.

D uring this period of time I completed my

d issertation at a state alcohol rehab facility

a lso in Butner. My dissertation was entitled

“ The temperament Traits and Personality

Characteristics Which Predict Drug of Choice

and Success in Treatment with Adults in

I npatient Substance Abuse Treatment". I was

fortunate enough to do several semester of

I ndependent Study reviewing my subjects

M MPI-2 profiles with Dr. Grant Dahlstrom at

t he University of North Carolina at Chapel

H i ll. Subsequent to that I became a workshop

speaker and Mental Health/Substance Abuse

P rofessional t rainer, presenting upwards of

30 workshops over the next 36 months

Cover Letter 8292013

focused on integrating the diagnosis and

t reatment of patients with comorbid

Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Disorders. I

completed a two year fellowship at the

U niversity Of North Carolina School Of

Medicine where I designed and implemented

a substance abuse diagnosis and t reatment

component for the Adult Inpatient Psychiatric

U nit.

F rom 1991-1992 I completed a one year APA

approved internship at the McQuire Holmes

VAMC in Richmond Virginia. I was awarded

my PhD in September of 1992. Over the

following ten years I headed up contract

clinical services at a Jackson Field Homes, a

long term residential t reatment facility for

females ages 11-18 years. I have been licensed

Cover Letter 8292013

to provide Clinical Psychology services in the

s tate of Virginia since 1994. The final four

years I was Clinical Director and

i nstrumental in assisting the facility

becoming an approved Medicaid Provider and

obtaining JCHO accreditation. In 2003 the

facility in-housed clinical services and my

company lost the contract.

A t that point I elected to enter a solo private

p ractice in Richmond Virginia. Between 2003

and 2010 I provided a full range of

psychological services with subspecialties in

Substance Abuse Treatment and

Psychological Evaluation and

Neuropsychological Assessment. I completed

a basic adult forensic t raining program at the

U niversity of Virginia's Institute of Law

Cover Letter 8292013

Psychiatry. I have extensive experience in the

following areas: Collaborative Divorce and

Parenting Coordination; Expert Witness

Testimony; geriatric psychological services;

psychotherapeutic interventions with

children, adolescents, families and couples

(both cross gender and same gender couples).

I seek a position involving direct care,

p rogram development, program management,

clinical supervision and expert executive level

consultation. Please consider my application

for all current positions which you see as

commensurate with my academic

achievement, professional experience and the

above description of what I am seeking in

terms of employment opportunities. Please

note that allowing for a brief delay for current

a ttestation, I remain a provider for the

Cover Letter 8292013

majority of third part reimbursement and

managed health care organizations. I am

available for work immediately and can best

be reached by return e-mail or at 859-967-

9752.

T hank you for your time and attention and I

look forward to hearing from you or your

designee at your earliest opportunity.

Sincerely,

John C Sears, PhD,

L CP, SAP

Contact this candidate