Lindsey Sherwin M.Sc., RDT, EXAT

Experience

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  Service Civil International

  Aug 2007 - Aug 2007

  Workcamp Volunteer
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  The Children's Society

  Dec 2008 - May 2009

  Intern

  Enrolled in specialised training programme to serve as a mentor for refugee children from underprivileged backgroundsAssisted Roma and Refugee case workers and conducted classroom sessions on building a safer society, present day racism, acceptance of cultures, and related refugee issues in local schoolsAssisted head case worker by creating cultural projects and outings for Roma youth

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  The Roma Support Group

  Oct 2009 - May 2010

  Assistant Caseworker

  Communicated and engaged with immigrants regarding their daily support needs Liaised with UK government officials, healthcare workers, and solicitors/attorneys regarding my clients’ current status within various situations including government support and benefits, welfare, housing benefit, JSA, ESA, income support, healthcare, employment, education, and child tax creditTranslated letters and documents (Polish/English) to assist refugees in day-to-day problem solving including: completing UK status applications, applications for financial assistance, medical appointments, assisted with job applications Launched and recreated major art project used in the annual Roma community paradeHelped to facilitate after school art development workshops for young Eastern European Roma children and promote their artwork to the wider community Show less

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  Klevis Kola Foundation

  Jan 2011 - Jul 2011

  Integration Coordinator

  Lead educational and recreational activities with particular emphasis on artistic projects(Pottery making, poetry writing, drawing, painting, sport) Built and maintained relationships with participating families offering trust, support, and outreach while discussing their child’s individual needs and progress through scheduled visitations Researched and lead a process for finding potential community sites for activitiesEnsured eligibility for the programme through discussions with parents and carersCoordinated volunteers to insure that activities were supervised and educational assignments appropriate according to schedules and interests Organised volunteer recruitment forms, registration materials, questionnaires and educational material for line manager Show less

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  Virtual Hospital

  Apr 2011 - Jan 2011

  Program Assistant

  Virtual Hospital is a global health social enterprise founded to address global healthcare challenges by creating an e-Health ecosystem built on an IT and mobile platformBegan developing the first stages of a corporate fundraising event called Power 100Undertook fundraising initiatives such as leaflets and marketing materialsInvited high net worth individuals to the event and developed links with stakeholders

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  LEAP (STRIVE)

  May 2012 - Aug 2012

  Program Coordinator and Fundraising Manager

  Provided outreach to young people and adults encouraging LEAP services and registered them for workshopsAssisted with coordinating young peoples’ activities and programs Developed and initiated a fundraising pilot project in order to generate funds and awareness Re-built the LEAP website and Facebook page; developed a LEAP twitter account Conducted field work and researched businesses in the local community in order to place young people into employment and training Initiated the development of a LEAP Business Club and coordinated the membership scheme to suit businessesBuilt secure and viable community investment strategies through developing commercial partnerships Logged and monitored client information using the MatchBase database systemIdentified, tracked, recorded and managed youth-employer relationships Show less

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  Paul J. Cooper Center for Human Services

  Sept 2012 - Dec 2012

  Assistant within the Education and Vocational Therapy Program

  Assisted with educational development and discussion topics within a focus group setting Developed and facilitate monthly creative writing and poetry workshops for male ex-offenders

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  Graham Windham

  Mar 2013 - Jul 2014

  Youth Development and Post-Secondary Education Specialist

  Ran the college program throughout the agencyDeveloped and facilitated Preparing Youth for Adulthood Independent Living Skills workshopsLed recreational activitiesTracked youth education data in collaboration with Department of Education and Department of Youth and Community Development Reported to Administration for Children's Services on each youth's status in regards to education, employment, vocational training, criminal justice and housing.

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  PUSH Agency (Corporate)

  Sept 2014 - Sept 2018

  Model

  Brand ambassador and marketing lead for cosmetic, beauty, and tech companies

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  City of New York, Administration for Children's Services

  Oct 2014 - Nov 2014

  Youth Development and Child Care Worker

  Looked after and supported the needs of children and teens who were placed in the care and custody of ACS before foster care placement

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  Good Shepherd Services

  Oct 2014 - Dec 2014

  Youth Development Counselor

  Supported teens 13-18 with both child welfare and juvenile justice involvement in non-secure placement and residential group homes develop coping, life, and interpersonal skills Managed residents' behavior, help serve meals, escort youth to court, activities, and other appointments Mentored boys and girls one to one Planned and executed educational, recreational, cultural, and personal enrichment activitiesPiloted theatre and cultural competency workshops Show less

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  Court Appointed Special Advocates of NYC

  Jan 2015 - Sept 2015

  Advisory Junior Board Member
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  The Boys' Club of New York

  Apr 2015 - Aug 2015

  Drama Teacher

  Planned, developed, coordinated, and facilitated drama curriculum for boys and young men ages 6-13Created lesson plans and evaluate programming Assisted in organizing and taking part in community events for youth and families

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  NYJTL and NYC Department of Education

  Sept 2015 - Jun 2016

  Drama and Performing Arts Director

  Developed, taught, and managed the drama and performing arts program using therapeutic theatre and creative arts techniques to at-risk urban high school students in two public high schools

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  Boys Hope Girls Hope International

  Apr 2016 - Aug 2016

  Social Justice and Service Learning Teacher

  Taught a 5 week class to undeserved rising high school students grades 9-12 from across New York City the foundational concepts of social justice, prison industrial complex, community and civic engagement, as well as organized and participated in service learning excursions including campaigns to prepare students to develop their own models of impact to develop and improve their communities

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  New York Center for Interpersonal Development

  Oct 2016 - Jun 2018

  Program Consultant/ Manager of Cure Violence Restorative Justice and Conflict Resolution Program

  Partnered with 3 NYC DOE High Schools on Staten Island including Eagle Academy for Young Men running focus groups and facilitating community support, and restorative justice harm circlesDeveloped the concept and program of restorative reflection circles and conflict coaching for young people who were given detention, excluded, or were put on notice for suspension from the traditional high school setting. These Circles were implemented weekly. Liased with Department of Probation, District Attorney's office of Staten Island, and program partners to support youth affected by gang involvement and gun violence using restorative approaches Show less

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  You Are The Shift, LLC

  Sept 2017 - now

  Founder

  You Are the Shift, LLC is an empowerment based creative consulting company that offers strategies through its uniquely designed workshops and comprehensive training curriculum dedicated to improving the outcomes of young people across the board, in schools, organizations, residential facilities, and in the criminal and juvenile justice system. YATS specializes in developing trauma informed, creative arts healing, and restorative practices, specific therapeutic techniques tailored to address the need for social and emotional development, life skills for best practice in adolescent development, as well as gender specific response services that support the behavioral and emotional wellbeing of teens and parents who require support towards healing from trauma, violence, recovery, family conflict, and grief/loss. Show less

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  The New York Foundling Hospital

  Feb 2019 - Jul 2019

  Functional Family Therapist

  Provide Functional Family Therapy/creative arts therapies to youth ages 16-20, implementing a multi systems focused, strength-based and phase specific model to a case-load of youth offenders and their families in home dealing with co-morbid concerns including mental health issues, trauma, community violence, truancy, substance abuse, gang involvement, relational and gender identity issues• Provide case management, crisis intervention, case planning, and family therapy • Develop and execute appropriate and effective clinical treatment plans for each client and family served/document all client contacts• Evaluate each client's individual needs and provide subsequent referrals/ follow-ups to other services as needed, both internally and to outside agencies or providersExtensive Training in the FFT evidenced-based model to conduct functional family therapy with high risk juvenile felony offenders and their families referred through Adult Criminal Court• Attend monthly court dates with clients and submit written and verbal court reports to judges, defense attorneys, and assistant district attorneys• Organize and attend mental health appointments, meetings and relevant collateral meetings on behalf of client/s• Weekly individual and group supervision for case review and to insure adherence and competence in the FFT model• Document time sensitive treatment notes and plans into Client Services Systems• Present on The Families Rising program to judges and other alternative to incarceration programs to increase referrals• Participate in team meetings to discuss the outcome rates of the program’s treatment practices Show less

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  Dragonfly Method

  Aug 2019 - Oct 2019

  Actress for Voices Heard (Therapeutic Theatre)

  At the core of therapeutic theatre is theatre as performance. I performed in an eye opening arts based research therapeutic drama installation project. Role played: “The Outcast” It is a play based on how women perceive themselves after being assaulted and harassed by power driven men and how their social roles are seen by others specifically by other women in social situations. It reflects the power women have to speak up and out about how they are treated in various ways and how each of us as women has played that role through the lens of these characters. The play also looks at how to breakthrough the glass ceiling of power and victimization therapeutically via reframing the narrative of who we are and our every living experience via the stage within a unique aesthetic and within an emotionally supportive environment. Show less

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  NYC Department of Education

  Nov 2019 - Mar 2020

  Restorative Practices Consultant
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  Rising Ground

  Dec 2019 - Jul 2021

  Family Respite Clinical Consultant Therapist

  • Facilitate individual and family sessions using:• Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC)-alternative to group or residential treatment, incarceration, or hospitalization for adolescents who have problems with chronic antisocial behavior, emotional disturbance, and delinquency. MTFC parents are part of the treatment team along with team staff.• Functional Family Therapy and Internal Family Systems approaches • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy• Drama/Creative Arts Therapies• As part of a comprehensive team comprised of case planners and skills coaches, I lead in developing the treatment goals for high risk adolescents who are referred from therapeutic foster care, ACS Family Assistance Program, and juvenile justice system (Alternative to Detention and Alternative to Placement) • Record effective treatment plans and progress within the (Family Assessment Service Plans) for each identified youth and family served/document all client contacts in Microsoft Word and Connections • Evaluate each client's individual needs providing appropriate referrals for ongoing treatment and service provision, following case closure to both internal and external providers Show less

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  Children's Aid

  Oct 2020 - Oct 2022

  Expressive Arts Therapist and Mental Health Program Founder + Creator

  I developed and lead the first Mental Health program at the Next Generation Center and have been at the forefront of creating an expressive arts therapies program, the first of its kind, for youth in foster care and transitional age youth 14-17 and young adults 18-24 in addition to youth who are victims of crime. I have developed the Relational Resilience model for this population whereby we work through metaphor and images applying innovative activities to create both therapeutic expressive art projects using a rage of art mediums both individually and in group settings. To begin the process of my 5 phase model, a mental health assessment is completed, following this phase, youth participate in doing my resilience scale surveys, themes and stories are identified and established, we then embark on establishing the expressive arts project of the program. Each client, depending on the themes and topics we discuss in our first several sessions, designs a personal Create Your Shift project for us to work through and process. Once their project is complete, we reflect on it and they are able to share their pieces with other youth within the group or in the community and present to staff and other agency and community members as a full performance/presentation. The goals of this model are relationship based strengthening, restorative, skill-based, and trauma informed healing. Show less

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  Bronx County District Attorney Office

  Aug 2021 - Jul 2022

  Expressive Arts Therapist

  Provided Expressive Arts therapies to youth 14-18 within the Special Victims Unit of the Crime Victims Assistance Unit

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  Creators Counsoul

  Jan 2022 - Jun 2024

  Co-Founder
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  ICD-Institute for Career Development

  Oct 2022 - Mar 2023

  Holistic Mental Health and Social Skills Program Developer

  Working under the NY state Gun Violence prevention program contract, I was tasked with developing a specialized career training and coaching curriculum tailored to young adults 18-24 and incorporate mental health (psychoeducation and social emotional skill development) within each workshop. I developed a series of a total of 13 workshops. Within it, I am integrating my CREATE YOUR SHIFT (Narrative Puzzle Piecesz) a relational resilience program for youth and yound adults that teaches participants to apply 10 core social-relational (soft) skills through using drama therapy and the expressive arts. Clients practice these skills each week using various techniques which in turn allow them to re-train unwanted behaviors and learn effective communication and phrasing strategies to heal from the effects of trauma/addiction, cope with difficult emotions, connect with others, and build healthy and supportive relationships at home, in the workplace, and in the community. Show less

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  Career Connect- WomenInSalesNYC

  Mar 2023 - now

  Senior Consultant
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  Argus Community Inc

  Apr 2023 - Aug 2023

  Creative Arts Therapist and Program Developer

  Appointed as Creative Arts Therapist and Case Manager within the CDTP (Community Day Treatment Program) - Facilitates on-going therapeutic groups using a combination recovery model, psychoeducation, relapse prevention for clients living in a residential treatment facility and outpatient services - Documents results in group notes and any significant clinical issues in progress notes- Facilitates weekly caseload groups to address treatment plan goals- Monitors and encourages patients’ participation in daily orientation meetings- Facilitates daily meetings to address treatment concerns and issues, and makesteam aware of changes, plans, events, crises, and all matters pertaining to the program- Facilitates general meetings held around crisis or special situations- Available to lead or assist in special groups such as employment, anger management, and empowerment/resilience using expressive art therapies - Conducts individuals counseling sessions once every two weeks with each person on case load. Documents results in clinical folder relating to treatment plan goals to meet OMH and OASAS regulations- Ensures that all incidents that occur during program hours are documented andreviewed by the clinical team and submitted to the Office of Mental Health - Monitors and insures clients’ personal hygiene and ADL Skills are developed in a consistent and satisfactory manner - Facilitates seminars and trainings as assigned by Clinical Director Show less

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  Lana Gaiton Talking Works Pyschological Services

  Aug 2023 - now

  Psychotherapist

  Provide relationship and mental health counseling as well as drama therapy and expressive arts using a range of approaches with teens, young adults, adults, and families Specialities include: Adolescents, young adults, men’s mental health, and substance use disorders I have an array of tools in which I delve into : Trauma Informed Humanistic Psychotherapy with a focus on Resilience Building, Person-Centered Expressive Arts Therapy, Art Therapy, Dance/Movement, Somatic Embodiment, REBT, Reality and Existential, Relational Psychology, Mindfulness, Gestalt, Psychodrama I am inspired to continue supporting my clients to feel valued, witnessed, heard, connected and understood. I practice an intermodal approach and provide a range of therapeutic techniques that cultivate personal development, self-awareness and interpersonal guidance about relationship patterns while being intentional and re-centering clients so that they can foster their identity and be who they choose to be in the world. I develop creative activities and imagination through the use of metaphor and narrative re-storying with the creative arts, spirituality, somatic mindfulness, embodiment as main principles to bring my clients to the shift they want to see and feel in their future. Show less

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  Charlie Health

  Dec 2023 - Mar 2024

  Experiential Therapist Group Facilitator

  Facilitated and developed experiential and expressive arts therapy curriculum for adolescents and young adults across the country in a virtual intensive outpatient setting.

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  Oasis Mind and Body

  Apr 2024 - Aug 2024

  Lead Clinician and Expressive Arts Therapist