Heather Cannon, LCSW

*** ** ******* **.

Port St. Lucie, FL 34983

772-***-****

adz0mn@r.postjobfree.com

Qualifications

Registered Licensed Clinical Social Worker with both MSW and BSW degrees earned from CSWE accredited Universities.

20 Years Post Graduate experience in Mental Health, Crisis Response, and Social Work.

Work Experience

Certified School Counselor

7/2021 – present St. Lucie County Public Schools

Serve as a liaison for special services that students may require, provide counseling to meet individual and group needs, provide guidance activities and lessons within the classroom setting, assist parents and faculty to understand individual pupil’s growth and development, maintain and interpret comprehensive information about each student, coordinate with ESE personnel referrals for services, develop the opportunity for open rapport between school and home, coordinate resources and referrals for resources as needed by both families and students, maintain and promptly submit accurate, complete, and correct records as required by law, District policy, and administrative regulations.

Mental Health Counselor

3/2020 – 7/2021 St. Lucie County Public Schools

Provide individual and small group counseling to students attending Performance Based Preparatory Academy; assist and support students experiencing a crisis; facilitate mental health education within classrooms to meet new requirements that students receive a minimum of 4 hours of mental health education; collaborate with multi-disciplines within the school setting to meet the unique needs of students; provide supportive counseling to students within their family systems; and educate staff regarding mental health awareness.

School Social Worker

9/2014 – 3/2020 St. Lucie County Public Schools

Provide parents of referred students services to help them understand the students’ problems and to involve them in alternative solutions to the problems; assist in interpreting the school program to the community, convey related community concerns to the school and work toward the expansion and the development of resources for remediation and prevention of student difficulties; communicate with the parents regarding programs and services available to meet the educational, health, behavioral, and mental health needs of students; serve as a liaison for school based staff, district staff, and community agencies to assist families in linkage to appropriate services; provide individual or group counseling for students in need; maintain an accurate record of activities and provide a written report for each referral processed.

Program Contributions:

FL DOH Board Approved Supervisor of MSW and BSW Interns

Certified Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainer (2015); having trained over 100 school based staff members and community partners in Youth Mental Health First Aid.

Participated as a team member for the Crisis Response Team, responsible for providing immediate crisis counseling and support to schools within St. Lucie County Public Schools.

Facilitated Signs of Suicide within all High Schools in St. Lucie County.

Introduced, implemented, and coached an evidence based after school program called Girls on the Run for girls in grades 3-5 at a local K8 school.

Sr. Mental Health Practitioner

7/2007 – 9/2014 Helping People Succeed, Stuart, FL

Provide mental health counseling services to children ages 5-19 years old; collaborate with a variety of professionals from varying disciplines to address the diverse needs of clients; objectively report on individual client progress and psychosocial needs; maintain records in accordance with statutes and insurance mandates; routinely assess client’s psychosocial status and maintain documented efforts in treatment plans and treatment plan reviews; regularly attend trainings and conferences to keep up with local trends and research in Social Work; and participate in weekly supervision with a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Program Contributions:

Facilitated Peace4Kids Aggression Replacement Training to small groups of children at Windmill Point Elementary, Anderson Middle School, and Dale Cassens Education Complex.

Mentored two BSW interns and one MSW intern completing field placements at Helping People Succeed.

School-based therapist for Anderson Middle School part time from 2007-2009, and Dale Cassens Education Complex full time from 2009-2012.

Trained St. Lucie County School District guidance counselors and social workers on implementing Peace4Kids Aggression Replacement Training at their school sites, December 2010.

Social Worker

9/2006-6/2007 Children’s Medical Services, Ft. Pierce, FL

Partnered with Nurse Care Coordinators to meet the medical and psychosocial needs of children with a diagnosed medical and/or mental health condition; provided case management services to children identified at intake or referred by a nurse care coordinator.

Program Contributions:

Creatively found financial assistance for uninsured families in need of costly prescriptions or medical procedures.

Teamed with a Physician and a Registered Nurse to provide services to children with compromised immune systems and their families.

Family Services Counselor/Family Services Counselor Supervisor

12/1998-4/2003 Department of Children and Families (Broward and St. Lucie Counties), FL

Objectively reported case plan compliance and children’s progress to General Masters, Judges, and Attorneys in Dependency Court; collaborated with service providers in the community in a joint effort to reunify families and assure the children’s safety; met with many different multi-disciplinary teams to improve service provision; monitored children in alternative placement settings; worked closely with families to move steadily towards reunification or another permanency option. As a Supervisor, monitored seven case carrying counselors; tracked counselor’s compliance with meeting core work objectives; provided feedback and guidance to counselors regularly; attended administrative meetings and facilitated unit meetings to share information learned from the administrative meetings; and promoted ethical standards and agency operating procedures.

Program Contributions

Certified Child Protection Professional.

Mentored new employees in both Broward and St. Lucie Counties.

Completed Leadership and Supervisory Effectiveness Training.

Recognized on five separate occasions for outstanding work.

Additional Relevant Experience

Florida Board Approved Supervisor

8/2019-present

Supervise two MSW professionals who are registered interns with the FL DOH, Board of Social Work; provide each candidate with at least 100 hours of supervision to meet minimum board requirements; weekly review cases, challenges, and treatment options; role model ethical Social Work professionalism; educate and support each professional while mentoring them in our mutual field.

Education

2021 Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL

Education Specialist in School Counseling (Ed.S)

2002 Barry University, Miami Shores, FL

Master of Social Work (MSW)

Internship:

VA Medical Center – West Palm Beach, FL (provides social and medical services to veterans): Intern in the Day Treatment Program, Mental Hygiene Clinic, In-Patient Psychiatric and Medical Units, 5/2002 to 8/2002

1998 Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

Internship:

Broward Children’s Center – Pompano Beach, FL (pediatric skilled nursing facility, day care, and respite program): Intern in all three area, 9/1998-12/1998

References Available Upon Request

Contact this candidate