Mental Health Program Manager

Susan Russo, LPCC

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

Espanola, NM 87532

Phone: 505. 453-2280

adct7m@r.postjobfree.com

Summary of Expertise

Independently Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LPCC, State of New Mexico. Twenty years of experience in the Mental Health and Substance Abuse field. I am an Independently Licensed Mental Health Counselor, L.P.C.C., in the State of New Mexico. My experience includes: Program and Clinical Director; Clinical Supervisor; Operations; Admissions; Crisis Response Coordinator; Marketing; Public Speaking, Training, Case Management; Utilization Management and Quality Assurance. I also have experience with successfully writing RFP and Grant applications. My direct care experience includes but is not limited to leading and attending multi-disciplinary treatment teams; Training; Crisis/Suicide assessment/intervention; Diagnosis and treatment of multicultural and SED adults, adolescents, children and individuals presenting with dual diagnosis, chemical dependency; anger management, domestic violence; grief and loss; physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse/trauma. Deliverables include Staff Supervision; Case Management; Individual, Marriage/Family, Group Therapy and Crisis intervention.

Recent Employment History:

9/2018- Present: Clinical Director, Zia Recovery Center, Las Cruces, NM. Developed and instituted an Intensive Outpatient Program for Substance Use and Co-occurring Disorder Treatment. Developed and implemented all program logistics: Wrote all program policies and procedures according to state and federal regulation; Wrote and executed Quality Assurance and Program Compliance measures. Re-wrote the company’s employee handbook. Developed the Human Resource Department and documentation forms to comply with state and federal regulations. Implemented the Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment Model of care. Was approved by Medicaid and the State of New Mexico for reimbursement and Program State Licensure. Trained all staff on all Human Resources mandated orientation trainings and treatment staff on the model of care according to state requirements. Accountable for treatment staff supervision, ongoing trainings, utilization review and monitoring program operation compliance and outcomes.

3/14- 8/2018: Military and Family Life Counselor. Present, Ft. Bliss, TX; . Also Adult rotations at Luke AFB, Glendale, AZ, and Embedded with the 1/1 Battalion, 1st Marines, Camp Pendleton, CA. (Certified CYB/Schools) I provide face to face direct, non-medical, brief, solution-focused counseling services to active duty members, couples, families and groups for situations resulting from commonly occurring life circumstances such as parenting, relationship conflicts, stress, personal loss, and deployments and reunions. I make appropriate referrals and warm hand offs to military and community resources according to the needs of families and service members. I coordinate commander preferences and priorities for training and behavioral health need on assigned installation. I partner with and augment activities of assigned active duty units and battalions including Reserve and Guard Units. I also work with the installation Service Family Centers, and other programs to build coalitions and connect Federal, state, and local resources and non-profit organizations to support servicemen and families. I consult with military commands and service providers and present Program Briefs and Education Material as requested. I provide client tracking of services performed and referrals made. I have also trained other new employees in embedded positions. My present position supports the SOS families and the monthly grief group; Footprint includes Navy, Army National Guard and Reserve, Air National Guard and Reserve, Ft. Bliss Detached Units, Army MI, and McGregor Range.

11/05/16- 7/17 Department of Health, New Mexico Rehabilitation Center, Roswell, NM Behavioral Health Director/Program Manager for the Intensive Outpatient Dual Diagnosis Program. My proposal to become an integrated model, substance abuse and mental health, was granted by Medicaid. I trained staff in the core competencies of the model and job requirements; I also researched and implemented medical record documentation; program curriculum and model training plan and testing. I provide supervision of staff; attend all director meetings and am responsible for marketing and quality control. (Remained in Float Status during this time with Magellan Health as an MFLC)

12/12- 3/14: Clinical Supervisor, Chemical Dependency Program, Fort Bayard Medical Center, Dept. of Health, State of New Mexico, Santa Clara, New Mexico. Supervise all licensed clinical staff and support staff. Assess prospective client for program suitability. Assure program compliance. Staff scheduling. Fulfill on call duties for crisis intervention. Maintain quality assurance of clinical files. Complete client assessments, treatment plan and discharge summary/ recommendations. Review program curriculum for appropriateness. Implement gender specific and multicultural interventions. Developed and delivered psycho-educational groups; Liaison for clinical staff and referring parties. Teach counselors best practices and assist with client issues.

7/10- 12/12: Crisis Response Coordinator/Utilization Management Review, Valley Psychiatric Hospital, Phoenix, AZ. Assisted Hospital Business Director to market, implement, and oversee a Mobile Crisis Response Team. Required to hire, train, and manage employees and increase/maintain public relations with area hospitals. Acted in supervisory role in the Intake Dept. when short-staffed. Reviewed clinical documentation to ensure quality control. UM Dept. tasks included utilization review for Adult and Acute Care Unit.. Aftercare/referral completion.

6/09-6/10: Clinical Supervisor/Program Manager, Tri-Cities Community Health, Nueva Esperanza, Pasco, WA. Reviewed/streamlined clinical operations/programs. Developed and instituted integrated systems and changes to maximize staff usage and service line delivery in accordance with contract. I re-wrote and implemented clinical documentation to ensure new Washington State and RSN contract standards were met; Trained staff on new procedural guidelines and documentation. Trained staff in the medical model, integration of services, and provider collaboration in treatment. QC Behavioral Health Dept.: Audited files and submitted reports to the county regarding compliance and recommendations. Supervised clinical, case management and streamlined case management, referral and intake departments. Assisted company QC Director in behavioral health integration into the organization’s medical facility. I also researched, wrote a grant and serve on the corporate compliance team.

7/07- 5/09: Director of Social Services: Program/Clinical Director, and Quality Control Management.

The Bair Foundation, Treatment Foster Care Agency, Las Cruces, NM: Job tasks include: Start up business; Hiring and Supervision of all in house and contract employees; Agency marketing, development and growth; Provided Mental Health and Substance Abuse therapy to SED clientele to include; Case Management; Client Placements; Human Resources; Clinical Supervision and all Agency Quality Control: Audited files; supervised compliance and Monitoring Measures; Personnel Training; Recruiting, Licensing and training prospective treatment parents; Program Planning and Implementation; Have developed and implemented documentation for therapists, treatment coordinators, client intake and placement to meet and comply with the State of New Mexico and COA Federal Standards and Regulations. Supervised Treatment Coordinators, Therapists, Treatment Foster Parents and all services provided from placement of client through discharge planning and aftercare services.

1/06-7/07: Program and Clinical Director/Therapist, Premier Care, Inc., Las Cruces, NM. (No longer in business) Adult Substance Abuse and Dual Diagnosis population. Methadone Program: I supervised counselors and worked as a therapist for the methadone dual diagnosed clientele. I revised the clinical paperwork according to JAICO and the DOH, ATR contract. I maintained file audits. I then developed and opened an abstinence based, Intensive Outpatient Substance Abuse Program, Aftercare Program, Domestic Violence Program and Anger Management Program as a separate component of Premier Care. I developed marketing materials and presented this program to insurance providers, local counseling collaboratives and consumers.

04/05-01/06: Therapist, BI. Inc., Albuquerque, NM. Therapist/Liaison for Community Correction Clients: The client population consisted of predominately adult persons who have been convicted of felonies and referred to treatment by the Judicial System. I lead Anger Management, Domestic Violence, Dual-Diagnosis and Substance Abuse groups. I also provide individual, couples and family therapy. I maintained contract compliance.

10/03-04/05: Case Management Program Supervisor/ Quality Insurance/ School OP Therapist: A New Day, Inc., Out Patient Services,Albuquerque, NM. In concert with A New Day and the Albuquerque Public School System, I instituted an outpatient program for long- term therapy and case management services at Van Buren Middle School. I was then promoted to Program Supervisor of the agency’s Case Management Department. I also am the p/t OP therapist at HighlandHigh School. I counsel adolescents and families. As a part of my QI duties and in compliance with the Dept. of Health, Children, Youth & Families Dept., State regulations and standards, I developed, and implemented the Case Management Service Plan to include Safety Plan and Discharge Criteria documents. I train all new hires for the Case Manager position. I have also trained all agency staff on Substance Abuse issues.

03/01 – 10/03:Treatment Coordinator, Raindancer Youth Services, Treatment Foster Care Agency for children and Adolescents, Albuquerque, NM. While working at Raindancer I have been provided with the opportunity to practice and gain competency in a variety of areas. I work with the child and adolescent population. My caseload consisted of at risk youth, with DSM-IV diagnoses. I get authorizations from Medicaid and Insurance providers for admission and level of care. I provide the insurance provider with monthly, continued stay reviews. I write treatment plans, bio-psycho-social and discharge summaries. And coordinate wrap-around and aftercare

services. I meet with the clients individually and with their families. I have provided clinical consultation, to include adoption therapy, and assist with referrals for outside services. I lead multi-disciplinary treatment team meetings. I work with the parents and school providers to ensure that an Individualized Educational Plan is in place, when needed, and that appropriate interventions are a part of this plan. I provide recommendations to the Social Services Dept. and

the court regarding adjudication of client criminal and/or custody proceedings. I attend

psychiatric appointments and make recommendations regarding diagnoses and medication adjustment. I provide ongoing training, support and supervision of the treatment parents. I have interviewed, assessed, and written home studies for prospective treatment parents. I make determinations as to the family’s suitability for agency licensure. I have recruited, assessed and written match assessments in compliance with state regulations with regard to placement in treatment foster care. I also developed and implemented an intensive substance abuse group therapy program for adolescents.

09/99 – 03/01: Desert Hills Residential Treatment Center for Adolescents, Albuquerque, NM., RTC Milieu Counselor for the Chemical Dependency Unit. Promoted to Treatment Coordinator for the Treatment Foster Care Program.Promoted to Program Manager/Placement Coordinator of the treatment foster care program. I provided face to face and group intervention to adolescent substance abusers. As a Treatment Coordinator my job duties included writing treatment plans, leading treatment teams, coordinating client services for treatment, discharge and aftercare. I also wrote bio-psychosocial assessments, and continued stay reviews. I wrote recommendations to the court as needed. And, maintained client and family contact. I was then promoted to the position of Placement Coordinator. As a Placement Coordinator, I recruited, and assessed clientele for clinical need, appropriate level of care and placement in our program. I matched the client with treatment families. And, wrote match assessments to meet state standards and regulations. I wrote all initial treatment plans and determined safety interventions. I also gave treatment parent trainings. And, acted as the assistant to the Program Director. I audited client and treatment parent files. I was also on-call for crisis intervention. And, I provided crisis intervention for adolescents while on the Substance Abuse Unit and for TFC.

Education

Masters in Counseling: Counseling, Webster University, Albuquerque, NM.

Licensed Independent Clinical Mental Health Counselor: I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Counselor in the State of New Mexico. I have completed a 60-credit hour Master’s Degree in Counseling and have passed the NCE and the NCMHCE, NBCC Exams. And, have had 3200 plus hours of supervised experience in individual, family, group, assessment and treatment teams. Certified by Medicaid as an Approved Supervisor.

Substance Abuse Program, University of New Mexico Continuing Education. Completed all program requirements toward licensure as a Substance Abuse Counselor on December 5, 2004.

Internship Presbyterian, Anna Kaseman Hospital. And, Turquoise Lodge, Dept. of Health, Albuquerque, NM

Bachelor’s Degree: Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. Human Services, Concentration Sociology/Criminal Justice.

Associate In Arts Degree: Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane, WA .Liberal Arts, Degree geared toward completion of a Bachelor’s Degree

Awards: 2018 Honored by Survivor Outreach Services and Ft. Bliss Leadership for providing outstanding MFLC service

and support to Gold Star Families/Survivors.

Honored by the Army Family Readiness Center for providing outstanding MFLC service and support to service

men/women and family members serving at Ft. Bliss, McGregor Range, the Army and Air Force Reserve and

Guard.

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