What an honor to be nominated for the Bridge to Light Award in Family Counseling! While I didn't win, it sure felt good to be recognized at the state level for the work I do! So much light and gratitude to whomever nominated me.

​It was also nice to take a break from the busy-ness of life to enjoy hearing speakers while having lunch with colleagues I don't normally get to see. It's rare to have an opportunity to gather with administration, program directors, and therapists from other sites all at the same time. It was a great day :-) 

It was a busy day for me at the second day of the 2015 PCIT International Convention. During the Labeled Praise Luncheon, I received the PCIT International Advocacy and Community Service Award. I knew I had been nominated, but to see my face and story on the main screen of the room definitely provided me with a blessed surprise. My trainer presented the award to me with tears of pride in her eyes. I felt so truly appreciated for the work I've done in Louisville to bring PCIT to our community. Through my agency's period of change in CEO, productivity requirements, declaration of bankruptcy, and significant changes in Medicaid, I was successful in obtaining my certification as a PCIT Therapist and Level I Trainer while training a cohort of five clinicians. Two of these clinicians completed all training requirements, and one went on to become certified. There were many barriers I had to creatively overcome, which is another part of my job I honestly love. I appreciate a challenge, and I'm excited to continue disseminating PCIT in my local community. I'm certain that no matter what barriers stand in my way, I will find ways to overcome them in order to more broadly serve families in Louisville. 

Aside from the wonderfully overwhelming choices of presentations to attend, today I was internally preparing for my own presentation on my adaptation of PCIT for traumatized youth:  Trauma-Focused PCIT (TF-PCIT). As part of the Treatment Delivery and Monitoring with Trauma Cases Symposium, I had to condense all the information I wanted to share into a 15-minute presentation. I felt honored to present alongside well-known researchers in the field, Susan Timmer and Brian Allen, and to receive feedback from the symposium discussant, Master Trainer Amy Herschell. I had a lot of people coming up to me afterwards expressing interest in my adaptation and asking questions. It felt wonderful to know there was interest in my adaptation. I hope to be able to research its use in the future.