MICHELLE ERIN HIRSCHMAN

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EDUCATION

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, Campus Box 1196, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Missouri

Master of Social Work, 5/99

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA, 93101

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology and Sociology with Honors, 6/97

LUND UNIVERSITY, SWEDEN

Education Abroad Program, 6/95-12/95

WORK EXPERIENCE

PRIVATE PRACTICE, Santa Monica, Ca. (4/05-present)

Therapist: Working with clients with various types of addictions, dual diagnoses, and/or eating

disorders. Work with adults and adolescents. Utilize an eclectic approach incorporating cognitive

behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, object relations, 12 step work, and family therapy.

PROMISES TREATMENT CENTER, Malibu, Ca. (3/04-9/05)

Residential Counselor: Counsel clients in the inpatient, transitional living & outpatient programs.

Facilitate various groups; process, self-esteem building, intimacy, codependency and 12 step groups.

Work with patients with multiple addictions as well as dual diagnosis & their families. Regularly,

network with referral sources and aftercare providers. Have been coordinator of outpatient program and

transitional living . Coordinator of the alumni program which includes organizing alumni events,

support groups, as well as crisis intervention.

DIDI HIRSCH SUICIDE PREVENTION CENTER HOTLINE (SPC), Culver City, Ca. (10/03-present)

Shift Supervisor: Clinically supervise six to eight SPC volunteers per shift. Responsible for crisis

intervention and intake screening for SPC callers. Conduct lethality assessments of calls and assist

volunteers in determining lethatlity. Assist with training of prospective volunteers and assist counselors

with finding appropriate referrals.

CROSS CULTURAL SOLUTIONS, Ghana, West Africa (11/02-1/03)

Counselor: Worked at a mental health clinic assisting psychiatric nurses with their clinical skills.

Facilitated educational groups to nurses and clients about addiction issues. Visited clients’ homes

and provided counseling to them and their family members. Counseled clients with addiction

problems, severe mental illnesses and patients suffering from AIDS. Started up the first AA meeting

in the town of Ho. Created various educational handouts for clients suffering from anxiety disorders,

depression, addictions and schizophrenia.

VITAMINS, JUICES & MORE, Marina Del Rey, Ca. (7/03-present)

Owner/Nutritional Consultant: Provide a thorough wellness evaluation to clients as well as literature,

research, and current news on vitamins and herbs and their safety. Educate clients on the best brands

of vitamins to buy and recommend supplements to buy based on their individual health needs. Support

clients with meal planning , proper food choices, exercise routine & overall well-being.

VITAMIN BARN, Malibu, California (11/01-11/02)

Assistant Manager: Educated customers about supplements and herbs that could assist them with

various health conditions. Managed a team of six workers and organized health seminars, (ie;

women’s health workshop) and demonstrations. Attended ’01-’03 Vitamin Conventions as well as

workshops and classes on various health issues.

ARLINGTON STREET PEOPLE’S ASSISTANCE NETWORK, 2708-B S. Nelson St., Arlington, VA. (7/99-7/01)

Case Manager: Assisted a culturally diverse group of homeless consumers whom suffered from

mental illnesses, substance abuse problems, and domestic violence in becoming self sufficient.

Provided consumers with job skill development, life skills training, crisis counseling, emergency

services, and connected them to resources that better helped their lives. Coordinated services with

employment coordinators, shelters, mental health facilities, substance abuse programs, medical

facilities, legal services, social services, and various other agencies.

NOW LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND, 119 Constitution Ave., N.E., Washington, D.C. (1/99-5/99)

Legislative Assistant: Drafted letters, fact sheets, and articles; researched and analyzed legislation; on

issues revolved around women’s economic security, violence against women, and welfare reform.

Aided in the implementation of the Women’s Equality Summit and Congressional Action Day.

Attended coalition meetings and hearings on poverty and budget issues and spoke at conferences and

workshops on welfare reform and domestic violence.

LEGAL ADVOCATES FOR ABUSED WOMEN (LAAW), 3115 S. Grand, St. Louis, Missouri (9/98-12/98)

Victim Advocate: Worked with the St. Louis City Police DART team on domestic violence cases.

Educated victims about the Adult Abuse Act the option of getting an Order of Protection, and the

cycle of violence. Went with the investigators to the scene of the crime; counseled victims & educated

them about LAAW’s services. Assisted the chief of police in organizing domestic violence training’s

for police officers. Worked with lawyers, DFS workers, Victim Services, and the Missouri Coalition
Against Domestic Violence to provide the best services possible to victims.

CASA DEL MURIAL (Group Home for the Mentally Ill), 4570 Calle Real, Goleta, California (12/95-7/96)

Counselor: Took clients (primarily schizophrenics) on outings, organized activities and counseled
them when they were in crisis. Co-facilitated poetry therapy and various other support groups.

Assisted clients with daily living skills, social and recreational skills, housing needs, employment

needs, and social independence.

VOLUNTEER WORK:

SUICIDE HOTLINE COUNSELOR, Culver City, Ca. (11/01-9/03)

CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE, Washington D.C. (1/99-7/99)

HOSPICE SERVICES, Santa Barbara, Ca. (1/96-1/97)

PSYCHIATRIC UNIT COUNSELOR, Santa Barbara, Ca. (1/96-1/97)

HOMELESS OUTREACH WORKER, Santa Barbara, Ca. (12/95-4/96)

LANGUAGE AND COMPUTER SKILLS:

LANGUAGE: Semi-fluent in Spanish

COMPUTER: Literate in Macintosh, PC systems, WordPerfect, Excel, ArcView, and SPSS