Kristi Thomas
Tucson,AZ
Summary
Dedicated School Counselor with expertise in providing counseling and education to assist students in achieving educational and personal success. Respectful active listener when counseling students and interacting with parents, staff, and administrators. Communicative and reliable professional possessing outstanding organizational and communication abilities paired with in-depth understanding of institutional policies and resources.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
K-12 School Counselor/Social Worker
Arizona School For The Deaf & Blind (ASDB)
Tucson, AZ
07.2000 - Current
- Provide individual, small group and classroom-based counseling services to students who are Blind/Visually Impaired or Deaf/Hard of Hearing in K-12 residential school setting.
- Create and provide student workshops on variety of age appropriate topics: anti-bullying programs, character education, internet safety, social emotional learning, and sex education.
- Establish "Reset Room" and utilize with students to increase their self-regulation abilities.
- Serve as member of multidisciplinary teams to assist in development of Functional Behavior Analysis and Behavior Intervention Plans.
- Write, implement and monitor Individual Education Plan Counseling Goals; utilize Medicaid billing system for services provided.
- Collaborate with parents, instructional staff, and residential staff to address problems and grow student success.
- Create and implement professional development trainings for educational and residential staff on trauma, suicide risk, and 7 Habits of Highly Successful People (Leader In Me).
- Coordinate Prospective Student Referral Review Committee, Campus Safety Committee, Lighthouse Team (Leader In Me).
- Mentor newly hired Counselors.
- Supervise Master’s level practicum/intern students.
- Member of various community and agency committees: Principal's Steering Committee; Superintendent's Steering Committee; Pima County Behavioral Health Coalition; So. AZ School Safety Consortium; End of Bullying Task Force (Ron Barber’s Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding).
Client Program Director
Community Outreach Program For The Deaf (COPD)
Tucson, AZ
10.1999 - 08.2000
- Oversaw counseling department, assess program/consumer needs.
- Supervised employees and interns within department.
- Interviewed, hired, trained, and evaluated staff.
- Implemented and maintained tracking procedures to monitor staff productivity, program quality, and caseload size; report to supervisor for review.
- Maintained and monitored service contracts.
- Scheduled and monitored case and quality reviews.
- Assisted in development and facilitation of balanced programmatic budget.
- Coordinated external training opportunities.
Counselor Coordinator
COPD
Tucson, AZ
02.1996 - 05.1999
- Provided personal counseling to Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind individuals, couples or families regarding issues, such as, deafness, marital, family, emotional, and substance abuse issues.
- Facilitated substance abuse support group.
- Conducted policy, procedure and file reviews for Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) audit (‘96 & ‘99).
- Served on various community agency committees and projects.
- Supervised case manager and practicum students.
- Worked flexible hours across night, weekend and holiday shifts.
Southern AZ Program Specialist
COPD
Tucson, AZ
04.1994 - 02.1996
- Provided personal counseling, case management, interpreting, client advocacy, independent living skills, vocational services, and community education for Deaf or Hard of Hearing individuals who are living in rural communities of Southern AZ.
- Received special training in Chemical Addictions and Deafness.
- Presented at various local, state, and national meetings and workshops.
Education
Master of Arts - Rehabilitation Counseling For The Deaf
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZBachelor of Science - Deafness Rehabilitation Services
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, ILSkills
- Counseling
- American Sign Language
- Student Records Maintenance
- Mental Health Referrals
- School Programs Development
- Multi-cultural training
- Team Leadership
- Individualized Education Programs
- Policy/Procedure Development
- School Safety
- Crisis Intervention Strategies
- Trauma Informed Strategies
Certification
- LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor (AZ Board of Behavioral Health)
- CRC - Certified Rehabilitation Counselor ( Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification)
- School Counselor, PreK-12 (AZ Dept. of Education)
Timeline
K-12 School Counselor/Social Worker
Arizona School For The Deaf & Blind (ASDB)
07.2000 - Current
Client Program Director
Community Outreach Program For The Deaf (COPD)
10.1999 - 08.2000
Counselor Coordinator
COPD
02.1996 - 05.1999
Southern AZ Program Specialist
COPD
04.1994 - 02.1996
Master of Arts - Rehabilitation Counseling For The Deaf
University of Arizona
Bachelor of Science - Deafness Rehabilitation Services
Northern Illinois University