Markisha Bennett, Psy.D

Experience

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  Student-Athlete Academic Services University of Pittsburgh

  Sept 2003 - Jun 2005

  Academic Tutor

  Provided individual and group tutoring to student athletes in introductory psychology and sociology courses. Courses included Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Sociology, Abnormal Psychology, Experimental Psychology, and Society and Criminology. Other duties included assisting students in registering and participating in various psychological research studies for which they would gain extra course credit. Supervisor: Mike Farabaugh

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  East End Cooperative Ministry

  Sept 2003 - Aug 2004

  Interviewer

  Conducted interviews for people with limited income and homeless individuals. Assisted in packaging food baskets and preparing lunches for individuals attending the soup kitchen. Other duties included sorting clothing and winter coats that were charitable donations for less fortunate individuals.

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  Allegheny County Juvenile Probation

  Jan 2004 - Jun 2004

  Social Work Intern

  Conducted court ordered drug and alcohol assessments with juveniles between the ages of 10-18 involved in the juvenile delinquency court system. Made recommendations to court on the extent of juvenile’s substance use and placement options. Assessments consisted of an in-depth clinical interview and the adolescent’s completion of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory, 2nd Edition (SASSI-II). Shadowed juvenile drug and alcohol probation officers in their daily activities including home visits and weekly drug test for juveniles on drug and alcohol probation. Other duties include attending court hearings presenting juvenile status to judges and hearing officers, andconducting drug and alcohol groups. Supervisors: Lisa Rusko, M.S. & Bobby Simmons M.S.W. Show less

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  Abraxas Center for Adolescent Females

  Jul 2004 - Oct 2004

  Mental Health Specialist Intern

  Provided counseling for adolescent females in staff-secure residential treatment facility. Clients were court ordered to attend program for 9 to 12 months for various criminal violation including illegal substance violations and more violent offenses such as assault and weapons charges. Clients were between the ages of 12 and 18. Clients presented with several mental health diagnosis including Mood Disorders, Substance Abuse Disorders, and Disruptive Behavior Disorders. Co-facilitated process groups and life skills training groups. Monitored clients on psychotropic medications and shadowed psychiatrist. Other duties included attending individualized treatment plan team meetings and presented mental health diagnosis of clients and their functioning on psychotropic medications. Supervisors: Mary London, M.S.W. & Bobby Simmons, M.S.W. Show less

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  University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work

  Aug 2004 - May 2005

  Graduate Teaching Assistant

  Assisted professor in gathering empirical journal articles for SWINT 2025-Social Work Practice in Health Care course. Organized student papers for 50 master’s level social work students in professor’s 2 sections of the course. Organized articles to coincide with course curriculum topics. Professor: Valirre Carr-Copeland, Ph.D

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  Community Organization Research

  Oct 2004 - Apr 2005

  Researcher

  The research entitled Lydia’s Place Program Effectiveness Outcomes focuses on assessing the extent to which counseling and case manager has assisted women in staying clean, finding employment, and reunifying with their children. Completed a literature review on women involved in the criminal justice system. Conducted a single-subject analysis of a client using a baseline-intervention-follow-up (ABC) design. Supervisor: Victoria Sirockman, M.S.

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  Lydia’s Place, Inc

  Oct 2004 - Apr 2005

  Clinical Social Work Intern

  Provided individual case management and counseling to women who were recently released from jail or prison. Provided parent training classes and monitored visitation between ex-offender mothers and their children. Assisted mothers in reunification efforts with children. Co-facilitated drug and alcohol groups and life skills reintegration groups in jail for women who were two months from release date. Clients presented with several dual-diagnosis including Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Substance Dependency Disorders. Other duties included writing grant proposals to receive funding, had crime and delinquency prevention seminar and presentations at schools and workshops. Completed individual client evaluations and conducted single subject research to assess program outcomes for agency. Supervisors: Victoria Sirockman, M.S. & Bobby Simmons, M.S.W Show less

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  Urban League of Broward County

  Jun 2005 - May 2009

  Counselor

  As a YDC, assisted high school and middle school children in developing life skills, provided tutoring and academic enrichment. Develop community service projects for students and chaperoned students on field trips that were both culturally enriching andeducational. Additional duties included having parent meetings, and providing immediate crisis intervention for students who were having family or behavioral problems.

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  YDC

  Aug 2005 - Jun 2009

  Youth Development Counselor
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  Nova Southeastern University

  Sept 2005 - Sept 2006

  Research Assistant

  The Battered Women’s Study is an ongoing research project coordinated by Dr. Lenore Walker. The current project continues to strengthen the research that supports Battered Woman’s Syndrome as a legal defense strategy and its adaptability to other countries. Duties included conducting interviews with women in the Broward County Jail and entering data into SPSS system.Supervisor: Lenore Walker, Ed.D., ABPP

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  Kids in Distress Inc

  Dec 2005 - May 2006

  KID Volunteer

  Assisted caretakers with daily tasks including helping children prepare for meals and bedtime. Read bedtime stories to children and engaged in extra-curricular activities with children. Chaperoned children on field trips. Other duties included coordinating student volunteers to participant in the Kids in Distress student volunteer program.

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  Chrysalis Center Inc

  Aug 2006 - Aug 2007

  Psychology Trainee

  Provided individual, family, and school consultation therapy for children and adolescents with mental health diagnosis. Client diagnosis included Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and other childhood mental illnesses. In addition, provided psychotherapy for child and adolescent sex offenders and child victims of sexual assault. Testified in court hearings for clients who successfullycompleted Sex Offender psychotherapy. Provided written documentation to lawyers and probation officers after a client’s completion of program. Other duties included administering psychological assessments, attending staffings, and co-facilitating sex offender treatment groups at the adolescent group home.Supervisors: Sheila Rapa, Psy.D. & Nicholas Maccarone Ph.D. Show less

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  Association of Black Psychologist- Student Circle

  Oct 2007 - Jun 2008

  Mentor

  Provided advice and guidance to first and second year students in the doctoral program. Assisted students with any needs they had regarding the program and becoming acclimated to South Florida.

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  Nova Southeastern University

  Oct 2007 - Jun 2008

  It has been suggested that the type of mental health diagnosis, whether disruptive behavior disorder or mood disorder plays a role in the judges decision to place a youthful offender in a therapeutic or less rehabilitative detention setting. This research entitledJuvenile injustice system: Racial disparities in mental health diagnosis and out-of-placements for African American juvenile offenders, focuses on comparing the categories of mental health diagnosis that minority and white youth receive and what part it plays in placement for offenders. The overall goal of this research is to investigate whether there are racial disparities in the diagnosing of minority youth and whether this will play a part in the rehabilitation of such youthful offenders. In addition, this research seeks to inform mental health professionals in cultural competence when diagnosing minorities who may represent with mental health symptoms in different ways than their white counterparts. Supervisors: Lenore Walker, Ed.D., ABPP Show less What are the needs of community organizations that work with the mentally ill population who are also involved in the Broward County criminal justice system. This research entitled Needs Assessment Survey of the Criminally Mentally Ill, focuses on the resources, services, and projects that community and law enforcement agencies need in order to better serve the mentally ill population that has involvement in the criminal justice system. Duties included interviewing attorneys in the state prosecutor’s office, program directors for different community mental health agencies, and mental health coordinators in the county jail. Additional responsibilities included assisting primary researchers in consolidating interviews and developing consensus criterion for different interview questions. Assisted in summarizing findings. Supervisors: Lenore Walker, Ed.D., ABPP, James Pann, Ph.D Show less

  • Researcher

    May 2007 - Jun 2008

  • Research Assistant

    Oct 2007 - Mar 2008
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  Battered Women’s Research Group Nova Southeastern University

  Jul 2008 - now

  Group Co-Facilitator

  Co-facilitated groups of battered women at Sheriff’s North Jail. Groups consisted of 25 to 30 women in the jails who reported previously being involved in an abusive relationship. The Survivor’s Trauma Empowerment Program (S.T.E.P.) was utilized to guide group discussion. Provided group members with psycho-education about abuse and trauma, skills in helping to overcome traumatic experiences, and checked in with group members in addressing pressing issues that they may need to divulge. Further provided pre and post test measures to assess client’s progress in groups and obtain research data on trauma related experiences of battered women. Show less

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  Nova Southeastern University

  Aug 2008 - May 2009

  Research Assistant

  For first and second generation immigrant children and adolescents, the connection between their parents, schools and community plays service as a vital protective factor in their emotional, mental, and social skills development. These young people are presented with many similar obstacles as other American youth, yet they are presented with the added dilemma of maintaining a sense of biculturalism in order for them to successfully maintain appreciation for their home country and survive in their host country. The Connections program was designed to research whether interventions in parent training,family and child involved played a role in parents better connection to the schools and community in which their children were growing up. Duties included developing parent intervention sessions and conducted parent training programs. Additional, responsibilities included conducting pre, mid, and post intervention assessments for the study. Supervisors: Diana Formoso, Ph.D. & Mercedes ter Maat, Ph.D. Show less

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  TSCC Research Project

  Sept 2010 - May 2012

  Principle Investigator

  The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children is a 54 item self-report measure administered to children and adolescents between the ages of 8 and 16. The measure was designed to assess posttraumatic distress and related psychological symtomatology in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study is to examine the construct validity of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children with a homogenous sample of African American youthful offenders. Participants will consist of 200 African American youth who have committed offenses and were administered psychological evaluations in a forensic setting. Show less

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  DC Courts

  Oct 2010 - Jun 2013

  Research Assistant

  The Million Adolescent Clinic Inventory (MACI) is one of the most widely used personality measures in juvenile forensic settings. Although it has been accepted by practitioners, little research has been conducted establishing the construct validity ofMACI scores. In this examination, we investigate the psychometric properties of MACI scores with a sample of several hundred juvenile offender urban African American males. Duties included gathering and analyzing archival data from 500 protocols completed by court involved African American youth between 2000 and 2010. Supervisor: Malcolm H. Woodland, Ph.D. Show less

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  The Center for Posttraumatic Disorders at The Psychiatric Institute of Washington

  Sept 2011 - now

  Psychotherapy/Licensed Clinical Psychologist

  The Center for Posttraumatic Disorders is a specialized inpatient program within the Psychiatric Institute of Washington that provides rapid stabilization and essential training in self-management skills through the use of stage oriented, cognitive and behavioral strategies. Primary role is to provide trauma specific individual and group therapeutic interventions to adults on an inpatient psychiatric hospital unit who present with complex posttraumatic stress and dissociative symptoms. Additional responsibilities include providing trauma specific consultations to the Child and Adolescent Unit psychiatrists, facilitate trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) groups to adolescents, and conduct workshops in community based agencies on various aspects of complex posttraumatic stress related issues. Facilitated yoga-based trauma informed groups with adolescent girls from (02/01/14- 11/09/15). Also provide supervision and didactic training to pre-doctoral psychology interns, psychology externs, and master’s level counseling students.Supervisors: Florence Hannigan, LCSW-C & Joan Turkus, M.D. Show less

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  Metropolitan Therapeutic Services Inc

  Feb 2013 - Sept 2014

  Psychotherapist

  Metropolitan Therapeutic Services (MTS) Inc is a private counseling practice that provides individual, family, and couples therapy. Additionally, MTS Inc. also provides psychosocial assessments and psychological evaluation services. The client population included adults, children/adolescents from various socioeconomic and other diverse backgrounds. Primary role was to provide individual, family, and couples counseling services to client population. Supervisor: Mildred Nti, Ed.D. Show less

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  Knowledge of Self Therapeutic Services, PLLC

  Feb 2015 - now

  Owner & Licensed Clinical Psychologist

  Knowledge of Self Therapeutic Services, PLLC is a private psychology practice that provides individual, family, and couples therapy. Additionally, Knowledge of Self offers trauma informed trainings to youth development workers and non-profit organizations in the District of Columbia.Supervisor: Self