Experience

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  Trainer, public speaker & writer, bilingual (spanish-english)--fatherhood, child welfare, dv issues;

  Apr 1985 - now

  Independent consultant

  I am an accomplished public speaker, author, and trainer, throughout the US and internationally in Canada, Costa Rica, Ireland, the Middle East, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. In the last six months, I presented in Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Texas. I focus on:>>Transformational events for small and large groups of professionals on strength-based approaches for working with men and fathers, specializing to some degree on low income men who have challenges such as a history of trauma and/or intimate personal violence. Training may include keynotes, videos or anecdotes about men and their change process, comprehensive frameworks that facilitate practice changes, and skill-based practice for participants to learn new approaches to working with men.>>Comprehensive training on working with fathers in child welfare. This includes a strength-based framework for engaging fathers, as well as specialized practice with fathers who have a history of domestic violence and community violence. In addition to identifying strengths and helping men build on them in their change process, there is a stress on safety of partners and children. Finally, there is instruction and practice on how to engage fathers in ways that minimize resistance and promote buy-in by the men, even with respect to issues such as domestic violence.>>Culturally- and evidence-based interventions with Latino men. As a bilingual (Spanish & English) professional, I have used my extensive experience working with Latinos to provide multiple presentations and workshops on strength-based and culturally-informed approaches with Spanish-speaking men.Contact information: (617) 548-9171; [email protected] Show less

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  Massachusetts department of children & families

  Apr 2006 - Jun 2015

  Director of fatherhood engagement

  As statewide Director of Fatherhood Engagement, I was responsible for:* Creating an institutional change process for upper and middle leadership at the Department of Children & Families to modify practice frameworks and integrate the engagement of fathers whose children are involved with child welfare.* Developing a framework for engaging fathers that was strength-based, and proactive on challenges related to domestic and community violence, substance abuse, and/or mental health issues.* Enlisting and training 20 Fatherhood Engagement Leadership Teams in 20 area offices, and helping these teams change practice and create services for fathers involved with child welfare.I developed lasting collaborations with fatherhood programs throughout Massachusetts and fostered a network of low income fathers who became speaker-trainers throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, and Texas. Show less

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  Researcher & adjunct faculty, simmons college graduate school of social work

  Jan 2011 - now

  Adjunct faculty on leadership development in anti-violence work: the schechter seminar

  I am co-instructor in a course that helps students to develop their leadership capacity and to understand the process of institutional change in social service agencies. Research currently involves a focus group study with low income, racially and ethnically diverse, English and Spanish-speaking fathers about their understanding of domestic violence, about their awareness of the impact of witnessing domestic violence on children, and about what fathers can do and say to prevent their children's involvement with domestic violence either as victims or perpetrators in adulthood. Dr. Kristie Thomas and I are in the data analysis phase of this project. Show less