Medical Interpreter Psychology Associate
Resume:
Martha Palacio, LICSW
******.*******@******.***
Education
****-**** ****** ** ****** Work (MSW) Boston College
Concentration: Mental Health. Scholarship: Child Welfare
****-**** Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Sociology (BA)
University of Massachusetts
Certificate: Substance Use Diagnosis and Treatment (U/Mass)
Licenses and Certifications
LICSW Massachusetts & RI Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Post Graduate Certificate Advanced Clinical Practice Children, Youth, and Families
Boston College (2020)
Medical interpreter Certification. Spanish Medical Interpreter- Lincoln Hospital (2012)
Skills: Differential diagnosis and Spanish speaking.23.2
Employment History/Experience
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Court-Juvenile Division (August 2021 to present)
Court Investigator
Interviewing parents and children, and writing reports for the care and protection of minors.
Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) -Massachusetts (2019 to present)
Social Service Expert
Court appointed consultant for cases with the Department of Children and Families in Massachusetts. Writing reports, psycho-social assessments, needs assessment, providing recommendations for the courts.
Private Practice Forensic Evaluator (website: Arizona Immigration Evaluations) (2014 to present)
Conducting independent evaluations for federal immigration court for Extreme Hardship Waivers, Victims of Crimes (U Visas), Victims of Human Trafficking (T Visas), Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Asylum cases; and Family Functional Assessments for families involving a child, affected by a traumatic event (e.g. sexual abuse); Psycho-educational sessions with child abuse cases; challenging previous psychological evaluations conducted by psychologists in Arizona; consulting regularly with immigration attorneys; applying understanding of the experience, language and culture of the Latinx population; providing health education, and community referrals. working in Massachusetts and Arizona.
Arizona Supreme Court/Juvenile Services Division Social Worker/Administrator (Jan95 to Jul 2014)
Contracted with the Arizona Supreme Court, juvenile services division, for 20 years, contracts included competency restoration services, assessments and mental health and sex offender counseling, and provided in-home counseling for different counties in Arizona; assisted and advocated for the Mexican immigrant community in Nogales, Arizona; evaluated, developed, and implemented administrative systems and procedures to maximize the quality and the efficiency for all programs; administrative supervisor; worked with families affected by sexual and physical abuse. Filed neglect and abuse reports with the Department of Public Safety when needed; provided psych-educational sessions to families in home; provided direct services 7 days per week, an average of 70 hours per week in Phoenix and in border towns.
Valley Hospital Psychiatric Admissions Coordinator/ Evaluator (2012 to 2013)
Conducted psycho-social assessments; completed initial precertification for patients to justify continued treatment; conducted emergency evaluations of involuntary patients, and initiated the court order evaluations; evaluated and admitted military service members with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to the military unit within the hospital; testified in mental health court; did utilization review for TriCare; worked an average of 80 hours per week.
Terros-Inc. Rapid Response (Banner hospitals, Maricopa Medical Center, Lincoln Hospitals)
Crisis Clinician (Sep 2009 to Oct 2011)
Conducted psycho-diagnostic evaluations of suicidal and homicidal children and adults for six different hospitals in Maricopa County; provided crisis intervention; prepared applications for emergency admissions for adults and children. Evaluated patients who were danger to self (DTS) and danger to others (DTO); testified in civil mental health court as a witness on a weekly basis; conducting re-evaluations when other clinicians conducted their evaluations; worked on call 24/7 an average of 80 hours per week.
Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (Dec 1995 to May 2000)
Psychology Associate II
Full time state employee. Worked in the Sex Offender, Substance Use, and Crisis Unit; provided consultation to correctional institution; provided crisis counseling to youths; evaluated suicidal youths in the crisis unit and wrote effective treatment plans; created an innovative and successful mental health system to evaluate juveniles in crisis preventing suicides for five years; advocating for youths with disabilities; identified and classified juveniles with sex abusive behaviors, violence, violent offenses, and substance use; covered for the psychologist regularly at Adobe Mountain Correctional Institution.
TASC, Inc. (Treatment, Assessment, Screening Center) (Jan 1993 to Dec 1995)
Assessment-Counselor.
Conducted substance use assessments of youths and adults referred by Maricopa County probation department seven days a week; conducted DUI evaluations for the city of City of Phoenix court; provided individual and group counseling services for adults and juveniles; worked seven days a week, an average of 60 hours per week. Providing support and care coordination as well as advocating for youths.
Southwest Behavioral Health. Clinical Supervisor (1994 to 1995)
Worked as a Clinical Supervisor for an crisis psychiatric unit.
Calvary Rehabilitation Center Substance Abuse Counselor (1992 to 1993)
Conducted substance use assessments for the Probation Department and groups for court ordered adults.
Maricopa County Hospital Psych Social Worker Full time county employee (Sept 1991 to Sept 1992)
Conducting short assessments. Processing the documents for treatment documents.
Alianza Hispana, INC (Boston MA) Social Worker- Intern (Sept 1990 to May 1991)
Conducting evaluations of sexually abused children for the Department of Social Services (DSS) in Massachusetts, which contracted with Alianza Hispana. Trained with other students from Counseling program and Doctorate in Education from Boston University, under the clinical supervision of Roxana Llerena-Quinn, Ph.D. I also identified the most appropriate services for children including recommendations for treatment, care, and services needed for reunification.
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