Thirty years at the intersection of behavioral health, suicide prevention research, and military mental health — translating research into actionable prevention frameworks for the U.S. Department of War (formerly the Department of Defense), community organizations, and national audiences.
I am a doctoral-level Licensed Clinical Social Worker with three decades of experience spanning clinical practice, research, and policy advisory work. My career has centered on one question: how do we understand suicide deeply enough to prevent it — across military, first responder, and civilian populations.
As a founding member of the National Association of Retrospective Fatality Analysis (NARFA), I helped design and evaluate the Retrospective Fatality Analysis Interview Protocol, an expansion of the psychological autopsy framework. My work combines in-depth psychological interviews, mixed-methods research, and large-scale data analytics to identify systemic gaps in mental health systems — and I present those findings to national audiences at our trainings.
Most recently, I have brought this clinical lens to artificial intelligence: I am certified in AI in Healthcare by Stanford University and evaluate AI-generated content for behavioral health safety, informing risk thresholds and responsible AI deployment.
Evaluate and annotate AI-generated content to improve model safety and alignment, applying structured frameworks to sensitive behavioral health and high-risk content. Identify edge cases and failure patterns, and bring clinical expertise to safety thresholds and ethical AI deployment.
Assess priority issues in Department of War suicide prevention and postvention initiatives to inform leadership decisions, coordinate operational postvention response after suicide deaths or attempts, and connect leadership with strategic behavioral health resources during critical incidents.
Subject matter expert in the design and evaluation of NARFA's Retrospective Fatality Analysis Interview Protocol. Conduct grant-funded research across multiple sites, conduct psychological interviews with surviving families, apply large-scale data analytics to find systemic gaps, and deliver nationwide training on the protocol.
Provide trauma-informed psychotherapy to active-duty service members, veterans, civilians, and their families. Advise community and organizational leaders on suicide prevention priorities, and collaborate with military installations, VA services, and community mental health agencies.
Delivered psychotherapy and consultation to active-duty service members and dependents, conducted structured clinical suicide risk assessments and crisis interventions, and contributed to organizational needs assessments and program improvement.
Provided specialized psychotherapy for combat-wounded soldiers transitioning to civilian life, evaluated suicide prevention program effectiveness, and coordinated access to VA and behavioral health services.
I welcome inquiries about research collaboration, training, advisory work, and speaking engagements in suicide prevention, military mental health, and responsible AI in behavioral health.