Mental Health Manager

PERSONAL RESUME

BRENDA LYNN CARLSON

**** ***** *****

Melbourne, FL 32901-8887

PHONE: (Home) 321-***-**** (Mobile) 321-***-**** (Fax) 321-***-****

E-MAIL: ********@***.*** Linkedin URL: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/brenda-

carlson/1b/b3b/114

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY:

A creative mental health professional highly motivated to take on a fresh challenge. Has a record of

accomplished administrative responsibility. Proficient in prioritizing and completing tasks in a timely

manner; has creative skills to design and implement innovative solutions to complex problems. Diverse

clinical experience in both for-profit and non-profit programs. Enjoys learning new systems and

processes. A team player who is attentive to detail and able to work in a fast paced environment.

Excellent oral and written communication as well as web-based system skills.

PERSONAL DATA:

Licensed Mental Health Counselor; Florida #MH 2142 – Qualified Supervisor Endorsement

Nationally Certified Counselor: N.C.C. Certification No. 30544

Former Staff Officer, United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

MOST RECENT POSITIONS:

Director of Clinical Programs - Exchange Club Yellow Umbrella 2/14/2014 – 10/28/2014

Responsible for all mental health programs, program development and implementation.

Accomplishments and Achievements: Spearheaded program-level application for Medicaid

Provider Enrollment, including development and implementation of new, Medicaid compliant

documentation; Developed, contracted and successfully implemented a county-wide domestic

violence intervention program; Developed and recruited staff for a contracted sex offender

treatment program; and expanded the agency’s internship program to four colleges and

universities.

Utilization Review Coordinator - Devereux Florida, Brevard Case Management Operation

3/15/2012 – 2/14/2014 (Continued as consultant until contract end on 6/30/2014)

Responsible for assessment, approval and assignment of new requests for clinical services in

child dependency cases; attending pretrial conferences; special assignment involving maintenance

of psychotropic medication documents and reports.

Accomplishments and Achievements: Although this was intended as a stopgap position while

seeking an administrative level position, I was able to problem-solve a corrective action involving

the timely reporting of psychotropic medications and develop a system that effectively resolved the

issue. I continued to provide technical support for the latter until the Devereux contract for this

service ended in July, 2014.

Corporate Clinical Services Manager - Youth Services International, Inc. Sarasota, Florida

4/15/2005 – 1/1/2011 (Consultant contract until 1/1/2012).

Responsible for mental health program integrity, program development, and clinical services

direction for privately contracted juvenile justice facilities located in Florida, Georgia, Iowa,

Minnesota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas.

Accomplishments and Achievements: Promoted after 1.5 years with the company from facility

Clinical Director to the corporate level position. Successfully obtained facility-level Medicaid

Provider Enrollment, developed and implemented new Medicaid compliant documentation;

designed and authored several new program proposals which led to successfully winning four

state contracts for new residential programs; successfully resolved several individual facility

compliance issues and provided direction which dramatically improved facility compliance scores;

participated in successful ACA and JCHAO accreditation processes.

Personal Resume BRENDA LYNN CARLSON Page Two

EARLIER PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE / CAREER DEVELOPMENT:

State of Florida, Department of Children and Families – Various position changes through

promotion including: 3/15/2002 – 4/15/2005

1 Operations Review Specialist – (Lead position in District), Contract Performance Unit

2 Program Supervisor – Developmental Disabilities State Support Unit

3 Specialized Therapeutic Foster Care Specialist – (administrative oversight position)

Mental Health Services Program Supervisor – Children’s Home Society, Mid-Florida Division

2001

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2 Responsible for oversight of mental health services in 7 rural Florida counties.

Specialty Program Therapist – Fort Lauderdale Hospital 1999-2001

Responsible for providing inpatient and intensive outpatient therapeutic mental health

interventions

Full Time Private Practice – Port St. Lucie, FL 1991-1999

Maintained all aspects of a small private practice specializing in general mental health, adolescent

and marital/relationship counseling

Therapist Clinical Associate – Group Practice, Stuart, FL 1989 -1991

1

Outpatient Branch Director – Community Mental Health Center, Vero Beach, FL 1988 - 1989

Adolescent & Group Therapist – adolescent treatment center, Mansfield, OH 1986 - 1988

Director – crisis intervention hot line, Ashland, OH 1986

EDUCATION:

Master of Arts, Counseling Psychology: Ashland University, Ashland, OH (in conjunction with

Cleveland Psychiatric Institute and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine); 1987

Bachelor of Arts, Bible & Christian Education: Southeastern College, Lakeland, FL; 1982

3 1/2 years study toward Bachelor of Science, Psychology, Central Michigan University

State of Florida, Department of Children and Families Supervisor Training; 2003

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Clinical services administration, operations and supervision (mental health and facility medical

programs), monitoring and document review, Quality Improvement (Records and Compliance),

State of Florida Certified Contract Manager, Trained Clinical and Programmatic supervisor; Group,

Individual & Family Therapy, Public speaking, Formal presentations (including Continuing

Education presentations), Information Technology skills (onsite IT management), Expert Witness

testimony, Statistical analysis, Writing, Radio & TV Production, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

Administrative Supervisory Training along with several other specialist trainings.

Committees/Boards served: Senior Management Team, State of Florida Evidence-Based

Programming Steering Committee and Medicaid Rules Committee; Internal Quality Assurance

Committee, Safety and Security Committee, Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance

Committee, Alachua County Transportation Disadvantaged Board, Medicaid Documentation Task

Group, JCHAO Accreditation Task Group, Quality Assurance/Improvement, and Q.A. Staff

Development Subcommittee Chairperson.

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