Professional Consulting and Workshops in WA State
Providing professional consulting and custom workshops to other mental health professionals and businesses who need support with suicide prevention, crisis management and safety planning, and assessing for a higher level of care.
Facing Challenges with a High-Risk Client?
Do you have a client with chronic suicidality, psychosis or other complex mental health challenges, and need more extensive tools to support them with safety planning and evaluating for a higher level of care?
Do you have a client who is ambivalent or resistant to engaging in safety planning discussions and has difficulty agreeing to keep themselves safe?
Do you have a client hospitalized in an inpatient psychiatric or behavioral health setting and have experienced challenges navigating the system and coordinating their care for discharge?
Are you trying to figure out if you are the best fit to help your client immediately following a crisis?
My Expertise
I have over eight years of experience working in several different inpatient psychiatric settings with both voluntary and involuntary patients, and three years running groups in a partial hospitalization program. I am very familiar with extensive safety planning and assessment for suicide risk, complex hospital and involuntary (ITA) court system, how to advocate for the needs of clients who are hospitalized, and how to assess the best options for a higher level or transfer of care. I can help determine if you have capacity to continue working with your client, offer recommendations for alternative treatment options, provide suggestions for how to facilitate delicate conversations around their safety risk and what boundaries you have with continuing to work together or not, and instill confidence knowing you are doing the most possible for your client.
What I Can Offer:
Individual Case Consultation
If any of the above applies to you, I offer secure phone or video consulting to help you process and address your concerns regarding your client, provide insight on in-depth safety planning, higher levels of care, and/or the hospital system, and offer recommendations and solutions based on your client’s needs.
My rate is $120/60 minutes billed to the nearest 15 minutes. Please reach out by submitting an inquiry request, or contact me by email or phone if you’re interested in discussing a case, and I’m happy to help you at any step in the process!
Group Workshops
Interested in hiring me for a presentation or workshop for a group? Please fill out an inquiry request about what you are looking for and I’ll give you a quote.
Please note: I do not offer free consultations for either service.
Upcoming
Events
CEU Hosted by A Mission for Michael
The Ins and Outs of Higher Level of Care: How to Assess and When to Refer?
Come join us for an informative workshop CEU hour, learning all the insights and considerations that go into higher level of care (HLOC) decisions, how to assess, and the process for making referrals. Michelle will offer a deep dive into barriers that can get in the way and ways to best problem solve, with case examples and opportunities for you to practice your HLOC determination skills.
Cost: FREE
12:00-1:00pm PST
Virtual (Zoom)
November 21, 2024
In Partnership with NAMI Eastside…
Family Caregiver 101 Workshop
If you’re a family caregiver supporting a loved one with chronic mental illness, this workshop is for you! Michelle will be touching on the mental health system, including hospitalization, discharge planning, and community resources to better understand what your options are. She will share some tips to keep in mind for coping and taking care of yourself, as well as ways to problem solve barriers, advocate for your loved one, and best communication strategies. Join us for an informative evening with practical skills you can start implementing right away!
Cost: FREE
7-8:15pm PST Virtual (Zoom)
January 14, 2025
Past Events
November 12, 2024
Depression and Bipolar Support Group Alliance (DBSA) of Whatcom County
Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT) 101
The DBSA hosts monthly support group meetings for peers and family & friends interested in more support related to depression and/or bipolar disorder. In November Michelle will be talking to the group about IPSRT, a type of therapy that focuses on how healthy structure and routine can directly corelate to improved mood. IPSRT is a highly recommended treatment, especially for individuals with bipolar disorder. Come learn in a what it's about, how to apply some skills to your own life, and get access to some worksheets to practice with in a nonjudgmental and safe space.
Please explore the DBSA website for more information.
September 27, 2024
Sponsored by the Judicial Assistance Services Program (JASP)
Secondary Trauma: Knowing My Limits and Needs
Michelle is the presenter for the JASP Annual Training for peer counselor judges with Secondary Trauma as the topic this year. As someone who's experienced compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and burnout firsthand in healthcare, she brings a wealth of knowledge to these areas. Judges will learn how to recognize signs and symptoms of secondary trauma and burnout, understand what their limitations and boundaries are, explore best ways to manage the impact of these stressors, and discover how to get their needs met. These skills will be transferrable to supporting their peer judges navigating secondary trauma in this interactive and psychoeducational workshop.
September 21, 2024
NASW Washington Conference
Suicide Risk: Are you Prepared in Your Setting? Learning the Key Elements of Assessing, Safety Planning, Advocacy, Prevention, and Problem-Solving
While social workers are required to complete suicide training every six years, it can look different applying this into practice when you have a chronic suicidal client, someone that is reluctant to safety planning, or are dealing with an impatient psychiatric hospitalization./ Whether you are in community mental healt, private practice, medical social work, school of social work, addiction, or criminal justice, mental health affects all areas. Knowing how to best support your client, assess their safety needs, set healthy boundaries, and determine the best recommendations for next steps is crucial. This training will help better prepare social workers to keep their clients and patients safe and increase prevention strategies in the future.
September 6, 2024
Hosted by Gaia Wellness
Crisis Management Workshop
Come learn how to assess for crisis with a client, what considerations and techniques to be aware of when working with someone in crisis, and explore when and how to make recommendations for appropriate levels of care.
June 10, 2024
Reflective Collective Workshop
Boundaries with High-Risk Clients: Do I Have the Bandwidth to Continue, or Is it Time to Transfer?
In this workshop, we will go over what factors to consider for determining if you have capacity to continue with your client, or if you need to transfer them instead. We’ll review the best process for how to proceed with transferring and some ways to set boundaries. You will leave the hour with more clarity and confidence with your next steps that align with your values and best support your client!
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Eastside Workshop
Stress and Burnout
In this workshop, we discussed what signs and symptoms to look for when stressed or burned out and provided strategies to help manage stress and burnout in daily life. Feel free to watch the video for more information and to get a sense of my presentation style.
