CURRENT

LANTHORN COUNSELING & FORENSIC EVALUATION, INC, Yakima, WA 2004 – Present
Therapist/Forensic Mental Health Evaluator

  • Provide mental health counseling and therapy to families, adults, children, and couples
  • Conduct forensic mental health evaluations and provide expert testimony in cases such as child custody, immigration, personal injury, competency, return to work, and risk assessments.
  • Completion of more than 1400 forensic mental health evaluations
  • Qualified as a mental health expert more than 150 times
  • Offer therapy, evaluations and mental health testing in Spanish
  • Provide clinical supervision to counselors seeking WA State licensure as therapists

NATIONAL BOARD OF FORENSIC EVALUATORS, 2014 – 2017
Senior Mentoring Chair

  • Provide report writing consultation to students preparing for oral board examination for forensic certification

LICENSE/CERTIFICATIONS

National Board of Forensic Evaluators, Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluator, 2008- Present
WA State Licensed Mental Health Counselor, 2001-Present
State of WA Child Mental Health Specialist, 1999-Present
State of WA Minority Mental Health Specialist/Latino, 1999-Present
State of WA DSHS Certified Interpreter/Spanish, 1994-Present

LANGUAGES

Bilingual/biliterate in Spanish

EDUCATION

Doctorate in Education; Concentration in Child and Youth Program Management (2004)
NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY – North Miami Beach, Florida
Implemented applied dissertation “Challenges to Implementation of School-Based Mental Health Programs”.

Masters in Applied Behavioral Sciences (1992)
CITY UNIVERSITY (LIOS) – Bellevue, WA

Teacher Certification, Secondary Education (1990)
Bachelor of Arts in Education (1985)
CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY – Ellensburg, WA

Bachelor of Arts in History and Ethnic Studies (1983)
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON – Seattle, WA

PAST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

COMPREHENSIVE MENTAL HEALTH, Yakima, WA, 1998-2004
Director of School and Corrections Services(2002-2004)
School Services Manager (2000-2002)
Team Leader / Therapist (1998-2000)
Certified Trainer Children Coping with Divorce
Certified Trainer Moral Reconation Therapy
Certified Trainer Familias Latinas/Strong Families
CATHOLIC FAMILY AND CHILD SERVICES  
Branch Office Manager / Therapist1994-1998 Grandview, WA
President, Seasonal Child Care Association 1996-1998
Program Supervisor, Familias Latinas, Parenting in Recovery
Mental Health Consultation, Washington State Migrant Council Head Start
Part-time therapist 1991-1994 Yakima, WA
Internship 1990-1991 Yakima, WA
GMC TRAINING INSTITUTE, Grandview, WA, 2013-2015
Clinical Supervisor
Provide clinical supervision and consultation to staff providing Family Preservation Services.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, Ellensburg, WA, Fall 2012
Instructor
Provide undergraduate course Psychology and the Law.

HERITAGE UNIVERSITY, Toppenish, WA, 2003-2005
Instructor
Provide undergraduate courses, Introduction to Social Work and Introduction to Case Management. Provide graduate courses Case Management, Multicultural Counseling, Practicum in Multicultural Counseling, Mental Health Field Experience (3), Mental Health & Community Services, Practicum Mental Health & Community Services, Special Projects, Crisis Counseling, Marriage & Family Counseling, Group Counseling, Practicum Group Counseling.  

SUNNYSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT, Sunnyside, WA, 2004-2006
Teacher
Math, English, Science, GED preparation for adjudicated adolescents

YAKIMA VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Grandview, WA, 1994-1998
Instructor
Women’s Self Esteem, Employment Readiness

WEST VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT, Yakima, WA, 1986-1994
Middle School and High School Teacher
Spanish I and II, Washington State History, English, US History, World History, Introduction to Psychology

MABTON MIGRANT NIGHT SCHOOL, Mabton, WA, March 1986-September 1986
Teacher
English, History of Texas, Accounting Basics

YAKIMA VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Yakima, WA, Summers, 1986-1988
Upward Bound Instructor
English, History

INVITED PRESENTATIONS

  1. Forensic Mental Health Evaluations for Immigration Cases, Webinar, National Board of Forensic Evaluators, Florida, 11-21-2025
  2. Reducing Quiet Quitting, Webinar, Oregon Judicial Department, 10-22-2025
  3. Integrating Mindfulness Into Our Day, Webinar, Oregon Judicial Department, 10-22-2025
  4. Suicide, Aetna EAP, Resources for Living, Costco, 4-21-2025, 4-24-2025
  5. Compassion Fatigue, Canopy EAP, 6-6-2024
  6. Mood Issues & Parkinson’s, Harmon Center, Yakima, 5-14-2024
  7. Mental Health Issues in HR, The Rural Collaborative, Kittitas Valley Healthcare, 5-3-2024
  8. Critical Incident Debrief, Selah Fire Department, 11-29-2023
  9. Working in a Changing Environment, Canopy EAP, 6-22-2023
  10. Grief and Loss, Girl Scouts of Yakima, April 2023
  11. Supporting LGBTQ Youth, Heritage University, October 11, 2019
  12. After A Suicide, Naches School District, October 2014
  13. Working with Latino Immigrant Families, Dispute Resolution Center, June 2013
  14. Personal Authority and Personal Boundaries, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, August 2011
  15. Blended Family Strategies, Montessori School, Yakima, 2010
  16. Stress Management, Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, 2010
  17. Stress Management, Epic, Yakima, 2010
  18. CISD, Crisis Debriefing, Naches Valley School District, 2009
  19. Helping Children Deal with Stress, NAMI Yakima, 2006
  20. Case Management Workshop, Heritage University, 2004

COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS (Asterisk denotes presentations provided in Spanish)

  1. Working with Mentally Ill Inmates, Yakima County Jail, 2004
  • Drug and Alcohol Awareness, Davis High School, 2003
  • QPRT Suicide Awareness, Sunnyside School District, 2003
  • QPRT Suicide Awareness, Juvenile Detention Center, 2003
  • Adolescent Suicide, Juvenile Justice Center, 2003
  • Working with Difficult Adolescents, Yakima Police Department, 2003
  • Attachment Disorders, West Valley School District, 2003
  • Using Second Steps in the Classroom, Best SELF, 2002
  • Character Education in the Classroom, Best SELF, 2002
  1. Managing Acting Out Teens, Yakima Police Department, 2002
  1. Helping Your Children Through Tough Times, YWCA, Yakima, 2001
  1. Behavior Management, Home Zone, Yakima, 2001
  1. Suicide Awareness, St Paul’s Cathedral, Yakima, 2001
  1. Brief, Solution Focused Family Therapy, Yakima School District, 2001
  1. A Collaborative Model for Public Schools, Rotary, Yakima, 2001
  1. A Collaborative Model for Public Schools, NAMI, 2000
  1. Systems/Family Therapy Seminar, Comprehensive, Yakima, WA 2000
  1. Stress Management for Parents, Washington State Migrant Council, 1998 *
  1. Parent Orientation to Mental Health Services, Washington State Migrant Council, 1998*
  • Child Development/Behavior Management, Washington State Migrant Council, 1998*
  • Identifying Signs of Child Abuse and Neglect, Washington State Migrant Council, 1998
  • Systemic Interventions for Children of Alcoholic Homes, Comprehensive, Yakima, WA 1998
  • Teaming/Staff Development, Washington State Migrant Council, St. Joseph’s Elementary, 1998
  • Teaming/Staff Development, St. Joseph’s Elementary, Sunnyside, WA 1998
  • Writing Clinical Treatment Goals, Catholic Family & Child Service, Yakima, WA 1997
  • Parent and School Collaboration, Grandview High School, 1997 *
  • Mental Health Services, United Way, Washington Beef, Toppenish, WA 1997 *
  • Working with Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered Teens, Catholic Family & Child Services, Yakima 1997
  • Families & Mental Health, Catholic Family & Child Services, Grandview, WA 1997*
  • What Does a Therapist Do? Grandview High School, 1996
  • Safe Touch/Unsafe Touch, Artz Fox Elementary School, 1996
  • Mental Health Services, United Way, Independent Fruit, Sunnyside, 1996 *
  • Community Mental Health Services, Grandview, WA Kiwanis, 1995
  • Community Mental Health Services, Grandview, WA Rotary, 1995
  • Mental Health Services, United Good Neighbors, Prosser, WA 1995-1998


CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

  1. Case Management Model for Schools, A Collaboration, Heritage University and University of Washington, OSPI, 2004
  • Working with GLBTQ Latino Community, SIOL Conference, Seattle, 2003
  • Yakima County Collaborative Youth Services, Washington State Behavioral Health Conference, Yakima, 2003
  • School-Based Mental Health Services: A Collaboration, Washington State Behavioral Health Conference, Yakima, 2001
  • School-Based Behavioral Health Services, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ensuring Student Achievement through Collaboration Conference, Ocean Shores, 2001
  • School-Based Mental Health Services in the Elementary School, Infant & Early Childhood Education Conference, Yakima, 2000
  • Resources for Special Needs Kids, Hispanic State Conference, WSMC, 1994 *


PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  1. American Counseling Association, 2005-2024
  • American Mental Health Counseling Association, 2010 to 2024
  • National Board of Forensic Evaluators, 2008-Present
  • Forensic Mental Health Association of California, 2010-2015
  • International Association for Correctional & Forensic Psychology, 2010-2018