About Me

I started my career in social services when I was 24 years old at a drop-in center in Hollywood that is now known as The Center in Hollywood. At the time, it was called Social Services at Blessed Sacrament. The first time I tried to de-escalate an argument, I had milk poured all over my head (true story). I set out to learn the ways of proper de-escalation. After a year at the drop-in center, I worked for PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) as an outreach worker in LA for about six months then moved over to Housing Works to help people who were experiencing substance use and mental health issues get into permanent housing. Throughout those two-and-a-half years spent with the people of LA, I learned the basics of crisis intervention.​

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After that, I moved to Eugene, OR where my first son was born. While there, I took a job with an organization called CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets). Little did I know that I was joining what would soon become one of the most sought after alternative crisis response programs in the country. I joined the team as a crisis counselor, and two years later, I earned my EMT license and worked as a cross-trained member. During my five years on the CAHOOTS team, I responded to almost 11,000 calls for service. 

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When I returned to Los Angeles in August 2019, I started working for LA County's Housing for Health program. During the events around the country during 2020, I knew that the demand for mobile crisis teams was going to be high. I collaborated with CAHOOTS for a few months and then created CRISIS Consulting in order to increase flexibility in the contracting process.

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I have since helped the cities of Petaluma, Rohnert Park/Cotati, Huntington Beach, and Garden Grove develop mobile crisis response teams based on my experiences with the CAHOOTS team. I am contracted with the University of California - Santa Cruz, Culver City, and Vallejo to develop teams, as well. The future is bright for this new way of doing first response! I cannot wait to help your city or university create a team!

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