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I was born in Williamsport, PA, where nothing much ever happened. When I was six years old my family moved to Brooklyn, NY, the complete opposite of Williamsport. When I was 21, I married and moved to Charlotte, NC. where I taught first grade for three years. There my two sons were born. A few years later, we moved to Mexico City where we lived for eight years. As a result I became bi-lingual and learned to appreciate the United States of America and all that the American flag stood for. During that time my daughter was born and I taught at her school for a while. I got the job when one of the teachers had to resign because her husband just won the Nobel Prize and she was too busy with reporters and planning a trip to Norway to receive the prize.
Eventually we moved back to Charlotte and a few years later I went through a difficult divorce. During the divorce, I attended a support group which helped me deal with the stress and trauma of the ordeal. A year later, I became the facilitator of the divorce group which met one evening a week. Over the next four years more than two hundred women came to the group, some for a few weeks, some for a few years. There were tears and there was laughter, but the women left stronger, wiser and brave enough to cope with whatever life had in store for them.
Two years after I moved to Arizona I exhibited and sold my watercolors in the Scottsdale Celebration of Fine Art, a two month exhibition. After that I decided to go back to school to get a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology. I continued on to receive a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Marriage and Family Counseling.
I wrote the Relationship Trap as a result of research I did in graduate school. It began as a collection of case studies and grew into a book over several years. I selected these women at random, asking them if they had a relationship that didn't work out well. Often I heard, "Oh, do I have a story for you."
The RelationshipTrap: Women Who Ignored the Warning Signs That Said...THIS GUY'S NOT FOR YOU! is a result of this research.
Educational Background
- Ottawa University, Phoenix, Arizona. Master of Arts in Professional Counseling. Advanced Specialty in Marriage and Family Counseling.
- Rio Salado Community College, Phoenix, Arizona. Overview of teaching at the Community College level.
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina. Graduate studies in Counseling Psychology.
- Queens College, Charlotte, North Carolina. Two years of Independent study in Spanish.
- Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina. Graduate studies in Education
- Instituto Mexicano Norteamericano de Relaciones Culturales, Mexico City, Mexico. Immersion Spanish.
- Hunter College, New York, New York. Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education .(Double major: Fine Arts; Early Childhood Education)
Counseling and Workshop Experience
- Facilitator of a Divorce Support Group for four years at WomanReach, Charlotte, North Carolina, an agency specializing in women's issues.
- Ottawa University Internship: Prehab of Arizona's Autumn House, Mesa, Arizona (Domestic Violence Shelter).
- Facilitator of a Domestic Violence support group, individual counseling.
- Facilitator of the Parenting Education Group at Parents Anonymous, Phoenix, Arizona. Also, volunteer work on the Parenting Lifeline.
- Counselor at Crysalis Shelter, Phoenix, Arizona. Individual Counseling.
- Workshops for Brandeis University National Women's Committee. (Membership: 1140) How to Handle Stress; The Art of Meditation, In Touch With . The Inner You; Everyday Spanish
Other Experience
- Elementary School teacher.
- Junior High School Spanish teacher.
- Artist - Exhibited as a Professional Watercolorist.
- Art teacher - Adults and children.
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