I presently teach part-time for both Parkland College and Eastern Illinois University. The focus of my teaching is substance abuse practice and organizational development methods for improving organizations.
HST 213, Fundamentals of Substance Abuse Practice
Human Services Technician Program
An introduction to substance
abuse problems and practice including historical overview, theoretical
foundation, impact on individuals and social systems, client
engagement, assessment and screening, treatment approaches and
efficacy, and implication for future practice.
(Eastern
Illinois University)
CSD 5970, Counseling the Chemically Dependent
Counseling and Student Development program
An introduction to counseling
the chemically dependent including theoretical models, ethics, and a
practical orientation to the addictions treatment field.
COS 4880, Productive Work Teams
Career and Organizational Studies program
Teamwork and work teams are
the focus of the majority of productivity improvement and quality of
work efforts in most organizations today. Participants learn about and
are able to practice the multiple roles and responsibilities needed for
effective work teams. Likewise, participants learn about and are able
to practice state-of-the-art techniques applicable to temporary systems
ranging from ad hoc committees and project teams to intact permanent
work teams.
COS 4850, Appreciative Inquiry
Career and Organizational
Studies program
Appreciative inquiry is a
strength-based organizational development model. Theoretical
concepts provide a framework for students to explore practical skills
necessary to apply appreciative inquiry principles to improve the
performance of a variety of organizations.
CONSULTING
I work with
organizations to develop effective and adaptive training systems,
quality improvement methods, and personnel management.
The focus of my work is helping organizations develop systems
and learn to use their most valuable resources -- their consumers,
business partners, and personnel.
PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE
I have over
30 years experience in the addiction treatment field working as a
counselor and administrator in substance abuse crisis intervention,
outpatient treatment, residential treatment, and corrections. I began
my career in 1974 at a local drug hotline and crisis intervention
program called Gemini House. We operated
with a consensus-based decision model that would later inspire me to
explore the power of teamwork and leadership models in social service
organizations.
Most of my
work has been at Prairie Center Health Systems where I worked as an
Addictions Counselor, Operations Manager, Residential Facility
Director, and most recently as Associate Director for Champaign and
Ford Counties. As Associate Director I was
responsible for approximately 70 employees and 15 programs including
drug court, a correctional halfway house, residential treatment,
detoxification, outpatient, and prevention services. I left Prairie
Center in the summer of 2005 to pursue my teaching and consulting work.
EDUCATION
Eastern Illinois
University, Charleston, IL
Master
of Science in Technology, 2004
Specialty, Training and Development
Graduate Certificate, Work
Performance Improvement, 2003
Bachelor of Science in Career and Organizational Studies, 2002
PUBLICATIONS
Co-author, The Gemini House Manual: A Comprehensive Primer on Drug and Life
Information, Salsedo Press, 1975, second edition, 1978.
Thesis: Implications
of Personal Recovery Status for Training and Development of Addiction
Treatment Workers; 2004, nominated by the School of Technology for
University’s Outstanding Thesis Award