Accomplished trauma therapist, police officer, and navy veteran with a strong background in assessing clients\' needs and providing effective solutions, including psychotherapy services and post-trauma treatments. Skilled in conducting comprehensive diagnostic evaluations and developing personalized treatment plans, while also implementing psychological interventions through collaborative teamwork. Highly articulate communicator and public speaker, adept at cultivating meaningful relationships across diverse disciplines, stakeholders, and client populations. Demonstrated expertise in conducting diagnostic evaluations to facilitate the development of evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment plans and delivering psychological interventions to patients and clients.
Hi, I’m
David Vest
Rancho Cucamonga,US
Summary
Overview
22
years of professional experience
Work History
Wise Elephant Counseling Inc.
President/Outpatient Clinician
12.2017 - Current
Job overview
- Deliver teaching lessons on critical incident responses to self/mental health at San Bernardino County Sheriff's Academy
- Oversee overall business functions to streamline operational activities
- Secured contract with first responder organizations for delivery of on-going and crisis responses (CISD/CISM)
- Increased customer satisfaction through continuous improvement initiatives and excellent customer service.
- Drove revenue growth by expanding product offerings and identifying new market opportunities.
- Adopted cutting-edge technologies to improve productivity levels within the organization.
Azusa Pacific University
Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice
08.2022 - 12.2022
Job overview
- Taught Criminal Justice courses, providing instruction to up to 20 undergraduate students.
- Built relationships with students, mentoring on personal, professional and academic goals while providing coaching on effective study habits.
- Graded quizzes, tests, homework, and projects to provide students with timely academic progress information and feedback.
- Boosted class participation rates by fostering a positive and collaborative learning environment.
- Enhanced student engagement in complex subjects by developing and implementing interactive learning sessions.
- Facilitated connections between students and professionals in field, organizing guest lectures and networking events that enriched educational experience.
- Taught diverse student population by employing various learning styles and abilities.
Liberty Health
Lead Mental Health Clinician/ LMFT
08.2021 - 01.2022
Job overview
- Deliver mental health services to a 2000 bed detention center for the San Bernardino County Sheriff
- Oversee overall business functions to streamline operational activities
- Displayed sensitivity to cultural and linguistic needs of clients and families served.
- Supervised busy caseload, managing clients, balancing workload and prioritizing client needs.
- Assess inmates for levels of functioning
- Performing psychosocial evaluations on newly admitted patients and competently documenting treatment and client progress
- Communicating with family, collateral contacts, and other stakeholders
- Leading and facilitating various meetings and generating reports
- Contributing to / taking a leadership role in individual treatment team planning and providing training and consultation to clinical, ancillary and security staff
- Assist with assigning new patients to treatment team members and helping to ensure program clients receive high quality clinical services
- Collaborating with the program's Executive Director, Clinical Director and Director of Social Work
- Provided crisis intervention services, de-escalating high-risk situations and connecting clients with appropriate resources.
- Conducted thorough assessments to diagnose mental health disorders and develop appropriate treatment plans.
The Counseling Team International
LMFT
04.2016 - 07.2021
Job overview
- Offer psychotherapy and EMDR services to first responders and families along with provision of psychotherapy services and post-trauma treatments to Veterans
- Became Certified Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) therapist and responded to over 20 critical incidents, including line of duty deaths, mass casualties, traumatic deaths of civilians, and officer involved shootings
- Taught critical incident and officer involved shootings at San Bernardino County Sheriff's Academy for the graduating classes each term
- Self-motivated, with a strong sense of personal responsibility.
- Worked effectively in fast-paced environments.
- Worked well in a team setting, providing support and guidance.
Montclair Police Department
Police Officer / Detective (Homicide, Arson, and Crimes against persons, Financial Crimes)
03.2003 - 08.2019
Job overview
- Played key roles as patrol officer, OIC trained, FTO, CIT member and evaluator, FBI certified crisis negotiator, SRO, rangemaster, Arson 1A/1B and post-blast investigator, and temporary holding facilities expert/department trainer
- Successfully concluded numerous cases, which led to being distinguished by the department, San Bernardino County, and California state Senate and House
- Acknowledged as an FBI trained crisis negotiator with zero casualties
- Developed and initiated course of instruction for temporary holding facilities from scratch for all department personnel
- Implemented state mandated Bias-Based Policing and Tactical Communications program in response to climate of police distrust
- Recognized as station expert on mental health and provided both departmental and state mandated mental health training
- Participated in ongoing training opportunities to stay current on best practices, maintaining a high level of expertise within the field of law enforcement.
- Displayed sound judgment under pressure when making critical decisions that impact public safety during emergency situations.
California Baptist University
Undergraduate Adjunct Professor
07.2010 - 06.2011
Job overview
- Provided support for courses in math/logic and statistics to adult learners in undergraduate behavioral health programs
Education
BIOLA UniversityLa Mirada, CA
BS from Organizational Leadership
University Overview
California Baptist UniversityRiverside, CA
Master of Science from Counseling Psychology
University Overview
- Awarded Certificate of Merit upon graduation
Liberty UniversityLynchburg, VA
Doctorate of Education Candidate from Community Care in Psychological Trauma
12-2025
University Overview
- Dissertation: Phenomenological study of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in law enforcement and their impression of how their stress academy impacted their etiology and future with PTSD
- Relevant Coursework: Teaching and learning andragogy, advanced group counseling, adult and familial trauma, child and adolescent trauma, disaster mental health and community response & crisis and trauma counseling
Skills
- Operations Management
- Leadership & Staff Development
- Caseload Management
- Strategic Planning & Execution
- Technology Implementation
- Public Speaking & Teaching
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Leadership Team Building
- Organizational Leadership
- Strategic Planning
- Operational Excellence
Affiliations
Affiliations
- Member, Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Licensed Member California Association of Marriage Family Therapists
- American Association of Marriage Family Therapists
Awards
Awards
- 2017 Officer of the Year recognized by US House of Representatives, California State Legislature, San Bernardino County Supervisors, and City of Montclair
- Awarded Academic Excellence Award for Academic Achievement CBU
Career Experience
Career Experience
- LMFT/President, Wise Elephant Counseling Inc., Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, 12/01/17, Present, Deliver teaching lessons on critical incident responses to self/mental health at San Bernardino County Sheriff's Academy., Oversee overall business functions to streamline operational activities., Secured contract with first responder organizations for delivery of on-going and crisis responses (CISD/CISM).
- Mental Health Clinician/ LMFT, Liberty Health, Adelanto, Adelanto, CA, 08/01/21, 01/31/22, Deliver mental health services to a 2000 bed detention center for the San Bernardino County Sheriff., Oversee overall business functions to streamline operational activities as a solo clinician.
- LMFT, The Counseling Team International, Anaheim, Anaheim, CA, 04/01/16, 07/31/21, Offer psychotherapy and EMDR services to first responders and families along with provision of psychotherapy services and post-trauma treatments to Veterans., Became Certified Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) therapist and responded to over 20 critical incidents, including line of duty deaths, mass casualties, traumatic deaths of civilians, and officer involved shootings., Taught critical incident and officer involved shootings at San Bernardino County Sheriff's Academy for the graduating classes each term.
- Police Officer / Detective (Homicide, Arson, and Crimes against persons, Financial Crimes), Montclair Police Department, Montclair, Montclair, CA, 03/01/03, 08/31/19, Played key roles as patrol officer, OIC trained, FTO, CIT member and evaluator, FBI certified crisis negotiator, SRO, rangemaster, Arson 1A/1B and post-blast investigator, and temporary holding facilities expert/department trainer., Successfully concluded numerous cases, which led to being distinguished by the department, San Bernardino County, and California state Senate and House., Acknowledged as an FBI trained crisis negotiator with zero casualties., Developed and initiated course of instruction for temporary holding facilities from scratch for all department personnel., Implemented state mandated Bias-Based Policing and Tactical Communications program in response to climate of police distrust., Recognized as station expert on mental health and provided both departmental and state mandated mental health training.
- Undergraduate Adjunct Professor, California Baptist University, Riverside, Riverside, CA, 07/01/10, 06/30/11, Provided support for courses in math/logic and statistics to adult learners in undergraduate behavioral health programs.
Timeline
Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice
Azusa Pacific University
08.2022 - 12.2022
Lead Mental Health Clinician/ LMFT
Liberty Health
08.2021 - 01.2022
President/Outpatient Clinician
Wise Elephant Counseling Inc.
12.2017 - Current
LMFT
The Counseling Team International
04.2016 - 07.2021
Undergraduate Adjunct Professor
California Baptist University
07.2010 - 06.2011
Police Officer / Detective (Homicide, Arson, and Crimes against persons, Financial Crimes)
Montclair Police Department
03.2003 - 08.2019
BIOLA University
BS from Organizational Leadership
California Baptist University
Master of Science from Counseling Psychology
Liberty University
Doctorate of Education Candidate from Community Care in Psychological Trauma
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