Rusty works with insight, support, compassion and wisdom to support children, adolescents, couples, and families in improving communication, developing confidence and hope, and enjoying more satisfying relationships.

Therapy and Youth Experience

I am a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, practicing since 1990. I have worked with children, adults, and families for over thirty years as a teacher, counselor, social worker, supervisor and therapist. Most of my work has been with at-risk youth and their families. I have a gift for empowering and engaging youth, and have a good sense of their developmental needs and the risks and pressures they currently experience. I have worked with individuals (children, adolescents, and adults), families, couples, and groups in agencies and in private practice. My clinical orientation is influenced by family-systems theory, Milton Erickson, DBT, ACT, infant mental health, attachment theory, mentalization based treatment, recovery programs, and neurobiology.   Most of my current work is with adolescents, young adults, and families, particularly where there are substance abuse or co-occurring conditions.  I also do work with children and families with disabilities, including ADHD, as well as work with anxiety, depression, trauma and more serious mental illness.

Social Work/Case Management

I have over 5 years experience providing and supervising clinical case management. I coordinated treatment efforts with families, service providers, social workers, therapists, community services, counseling staff, supervisors, schools, and physicians.

Supervisory/Management/Training Experience

I have over fifteen years of supervisory and management experience in social services programs, and five years management experience in corporate software development. I am currently a clinical supervisor and Director of Medi-Cal Services part-time, at Through the Looking Glass, where I provide clinical training and supervision and program management. I worked as a supervisor in residential programs, and as a program manager and clinical supervisor at Project Destiny where I led a multi-cultural team of about 20 staff.  I have supervised residential counselors and masters level clinicians and their work teams, helping to maintain a strength-based approach which empowers clients and families. I support clinicians in designing and implementing treatment plans and in providing residential, family therapy and wraparound services to children and their families. I have hired supervised and trained staff, and designed and implemented program policy. I developed and maintained Medi-Cal billing standards and utilization review protocols.   I have negotiated and implemented contracts, ensured licensing and HIPAA compliance and developed and managed budgets. I have I have developed databases, and coordinated with community providers. I am an effective clinical supervisor, using a reflective supervision model, with the ability to provide guidance where needed, and to provide support and encouragement in to clinicians developing confidence and independence. I provide positive feedback, and lead by setting a strong positive example. I make expectations clear, set firm limits and have good professional boundaries. I have excellent written and verbal communication skills. I am very computer literate: I have strong skills in all MS Office applications and also have database development and systems analyst skills.

Education

• Antioch     University:     San Francisco.  MA in Clinical Psychology, 1987.
• Columbia     University     Graduate Faculties. Philosophy Department Ph.D. program. 
• Columbia College,      NY,      NY. BA in Philosophy, 1969.

Licenses, Memberships

• Licensed Marriage Family and Child Counselor, License # MFC 25562.
• Qualified Clinical Supervisor for MFTIs and ASWs.
• Clinical Member:California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
• Member Marin County Chapter of California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
• Practice of Aikido since 1978 and as a black belt since 1983.

Chronological Employment History

1/1990 to Present:  Marriage and Family Therapist – Marin County

• Private practice providing family therapy and individual therapy primarily to families with adolescents and young adults in Marin County. Focus on issues of anger, depression, anxiety, attention, and substance abuse. Assist parents in setting clear boundaries and limits, and in helping to develop healthier family dynamics. Address substance abuse and addiction issues as needed.

• My primarily focus is family therapy, particularly families with adolescents      and children with emotional or behavioral problems. Some couples counseling, individual therapy with children, adolescents, and adults.

1/2005 to Present:  Director of Medi-Cal Services– Through the Looking Glass. Berkeley, CA

• Through the Looking Glass provides direct clinical services to children where the child or a family member has a disability. TLG also provides federally funded education, information, and research nationally as the National Center for Families with disabilities. Responsible for directing the EPSDT funded program with a budget over one million dollars. Client families have children zero to eighteen.
• Responsible for hiring, training, and clinical supervision, development of policies and procedures, approval of treatment plans, quality assurance, budget development, county contract management, information systems management, internal continuous quality review, HIPAA compliance.
• Provide didactic training to our intern program, consisting primarily of Psy.D. interns in bay area graduate programs and implementation of policy and training in implementing Alameda County Co-Occurring Conditions initiative at TLG.
• Clinical models include infant mental health, family systems, trauma work, attachment models, motivational interviewing, co-occurring conditions, and integration of work with clinical and developmental teams.

12/2004 to Present:  Therapist – Larry Fritzlan Recovery Services. Marin, CA

• Part-time clinician providing individual, family therapy, group therapy and education to adolescents and young adults, with substance abuse or substance dependence and/or depression, anxiety, family conflict or other social and emotional problems, in the context of an outpatient drug treatment program.

5/2005 to 11/2005:  Residential Treatment Manager – Edgewood Center for Children and Families, San Francisco, CA.

• Lead a team of about 14 staff providing residential treatment to 12 emotionally disturbed adolescents using a family centered, peer culture based treatment model using DBT, and family systems treatment modalities.
• Supervise Residential Counselors and coordinate with Therapist and Care Managers to provide structured milieu treatment. Provide training, develop systems, and coordinate delivery of residential treatment services.

9/2003 to 5/2005:  Program Manager – Lincoln Child Center Project Destiny, Oakland, CA.

• Lead a team of about 20 providing wraparound services to emotionally disturbed dependents of Alameda County. The program uses a strength based, family team approach leading to increased placement stability, increased family reunification, and a lower level of care.
• Supervise Clinician / Case Managers and their service teams in the development and implementation of treatment plans and family team plans. Provide training, develop systems, and coordinate delivery of wraparound services. Supervise Medi-CAL billing and documentation, quarterly reporting, utilization review, and CQI processes. Coordinate with Alameda County Child Welfare supervisors.

8/2001 to 10/2001: Interim Program Director - Braun Place, Novato CA.

• Interim director of a residential treatment program for emotionally disturbed teens. This was planned to be a 3 month position as I had a prior contract commitment in September.
• Provided clinical supervision, case management, and program management.

11/1991 to 9/2003: Consultant / Analyst - Redhawk Systems, Marin, CA.

• Managed a consulting business, providing systems analysis, software design, software development and computer training services to corporate clients.

1/1996 to 5/2001: Director of Product Development – SymPro, Inc., Emeryville,CA.

• Managed the product development and quality assurance departments for a software company developing Portfolio Management Software.

11/1990 to 11/1991: Group Home Program Coordinator - Children's Garden, San Rafael, CA.

• Managed      family model group homes for severely emotionally disturbed children, aged four to eleven.
• Supervised and trained house parents and counseling staff.
• Provided case management, treatment planning, family therapy, staff training, and group therapy for children.

6/1988 to 11/1990: Social Worker / Family Therapist - St. Vincent's School for Boys, San Rafael, CA. 

• Provided individual play therapy, family therapy, treatment planning, and case management for severely disturbed boys, ages eight to fourteen, in the Intensive Residential Treatment Program.

11/1986 to 6/1988: Family Therapist - St. Vincent's Family Based Crisis Program, San   Rafael, CA. 

• Provided brief intensive in-home family therapy and parenting education to client families with children who were at risk of out of home placement.
• Referrals were from Marin Social Services and Probation Departments.

8/1978 to 7/1984: Group Home Supervisor - Homewood Terrace program of Jewish Family and Children's Services, San Francisco, CA. 

• Managed group homes in an adolescent residential treatment program.
• Coordinated and managed treatment programs.  Designed and implemented program manual, agency and group home rules, and program policies.
• Hired, trained, and supervised a staff of about 24. 
• Developed and managed the program budget, reducing costs and computerizing systems.
• Negotiated union contracts.
• Ensured licensing compliance.
• Participated in treatment planning, led groups with adolescents, and provided crisis management.  Facilitated development of professional and effective counseling teams with low turnover, high morale, and confidence.         

2/75 to 8/78: Counselor and Group Home Coordinator - New Morning Group Homes, Inc. Ukiah, CA.

• Coordinated      counseling staff and counseled residents in group homes for      adolescents.  Managed budgets,      scheduled staff, and ensured licensing compliance.

Rusty is a licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist, with a private practice in Marin since 1990. Rusty has been working with children, adolescents, adults and families since 1975. He is now retired from his position as Director of Medi-Cal Services and a clinical supervisor and staff trainer at Through the Looking Glass in Berkeley. Through the Looking Glass is a nationally recognized non-profit organization serving children aged 0 to 18 where a child or caretaker has a disability. He was formerly on the counseling staff of Larry Fritzlan Recovery Services in Marin.

Rusty’s brings humor, compassion, clarity and understanding to his work. He supports couples and families in improving communication, expressing feelings, resolving conflict, and establishing clearer roles. He encourages parents to set limits and establish healthy boundaries. He assists individuals and families in becoming more confident, hopeful, and relaxed. He supports relating with clarity, serenity, and loving kindness. He assists in improving the ability to sense and more accurately interpret the needs, desires, feelings beliefs, and goals of self and others ("mentalize") and thereby have mutual undertanding and cooperation.

Rusty works with children, adolescents, individuals and couples who are experiencing anxiety or depression, low confidence or self-esteem, conflict in relationships, developmental problems, and other mental health issues. He works with alcohol and substance abuse, including dual-diagnosis and individuals working 12 step programs, as well as with individuals who would like to address a substance issue but are not open to 12 step work. He also works with trauma, and with problems with attention and emotional regulation.