LAURI MENDES
WINCHESTER,US
Summary
BBS-registered AMFT and APCC specializing in evidence-based therapies such as CBT, DBT, and Trauma Focused-CBT. Demonstrated success in delivering trauma-informed therapy to diverse populations, resulting in enhanced client satisfaction. Experienced Clinical Therapist with expertise in crisis intervention and patient-centered treatment planning, contributing to improved patient outcomes. Dedicated to providing compassionate care while maintaining high ethical standards.
Overview
3
3
years of professional experience
Work History
CLINICAL THERAPIST
Michael’s House
09.2025 - Current
- Manage a diverse caseload of 12-15 clients
- Conduct individual and group therapy sessions including CBT, DBT, Music, Motivational Interviewing, ASAM criteria, and 12-step
- Complete couple and family therapy as determined by client
- Complete biopsychosocial assessments
- Case coordination between clinical team, nurse practitioners, physicians, and case management
- Responsible for updating and collaborating with referents
- Complete all documentation in an accurate and timely manner
- Carried an assigned case load and responsible for discharge and treatment planning
- Crisis Intervention
- Facilitate education groups
- Participate in weekly staff meetings regarding each client and gives recommendations
- Complete required insurance forms for continued client care
- Complete ASAM training
- Complete training in Motivational Interviewing
- Demonstrate understanding of diverse cultures and gender specific issues and the ability to incorporate needs of gender and culturally diverse groups into the organization
- Case consultation and care coordination with a gay client who was in an abusive relationship with his husband. Client had been to rehab treatment three times. Client was able to successfully leave his abusive relationship with his husband, reached out to his family for support, and eventually returned to his job as an international airline attendant.
- Case consultation and care coordination with a client who had no insight into his substance abuse. When he first came to Michael’s House for admission, he was immediately taken to the hospital for a life threatening overdose. Client had been in treatment programs over 16 times and was able to complete his first detox/residential 30-day treatment program. Client transitioned to sober living and is attending a PHP level of care.
- Work in a supportive and collaborative high-risk detox and residential treatment center for co-occurring mental health and substance abuse
CLINICAL THERAPIST
California Mentor
12.2024 - 04.2025
- Supervision under Louise Polzel, LCSW
- Manage a diverse caseload of 8-10 clients
- Complete progress notes and treatment plans in accordance to Medi-Cal standards
- Complete biopsychosocial assessments including ACEs and DSM-5-tr diagnoses and differentials
- Case management and case coordination between therapeutic team, psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and social workers
- Consult Transitional Age Youth Partner (TAY) and Parent Partner for youth progress and developing coordinated up-dated goals for youth
- Case consultation and care coordination with TAY, Parent Partner, social worker, and/or family with developing plans for placement in foster care or family reintegration
- Provide therapy in youth’s homes for severe diagnoses
- Provide therapeutic support and services in the youth’s school
- Provide individual therapy modalities including Trauma Focused-CBT, CBT, DBT, ACT, Music, Motivational Interviewing, and Play Therapy
- Leader in Interprofessional Collaboration with client, social worker, TAY, Parent Partner, and/or family
- Collaborate treatment plan goals with client, social worker, and/or family
- Complete group supervision by providing detailed verbal and written reports on differing diagnoses and differentials in the DSM 5-tr including treatment planning
- Completed Trauma-Focused CBT
- Completed training in EMDR and Play Therapy
- Case consultation and care coordination with the STAR method for a transitionally aged developmentally delayed youth with genetic blindness through psychoeducational, community resources, medication management, CBT, DBT, Mindfulness skills, Music, writing stories about his life, TF-CBT, Play Therapy, and utilizing trauma-informed care for severe childhood trauma. Client is attending college and venturing outside of the home
- Case consultation and care coordination using the STAR method for improving youth’s abandonment and communication of needs with biological mother through processing trauma with the help of Grandma, CBT, Play Therapy, Art, Music, cartoon heroes, movies, and role modeling. Client speaks about his needs and sees mother on weekends
- Work in a supportive and collaborative private practice and wrap around services for ages 5-21 years-old in the underserved communities of San Bernardino and Riverside counties
YOUTH SUPPORT WORKER AND CARE COORDINATOR
Oak Grove Center
Murrieta, CA
11.2020 - 11.2024
- Managed a diverse caseload of 4-5 clients
- Counsel 5 -18 years-old in a level 2 residential treatment facility
- Collaborate within a multidisciplinary treatment team to assess resident behavior, contributing to the development of comprehensive, trauma-informed treatment plans
- Monitor resident behavior for crisis situations including suicidal behaviors, sexual contact/harassment, drugs, alcohol, property damage, bullying, fighting, self-harm, and leaving the facility
- Monitor residents in their rooms with ten-minute checks for safety issues
- Monitor rooms for contraband
- Monitor 1 on 1 residents having severe behavioral problems utilizing crisis management and trauma-informed care
- Monitor youth in hospital settings
- Counsel residents utilizing CBT, DBT, Mindfulness, and Music supporting trauma-informed care
- Group facilitator for Music, Yoga, Track Walks, Art, Music, DBT, Life Skills, Poetry, and sporting events
- Driver to provide food outings, concerts, strawberry picking, visiting farms, attending church, bowling, and beach outings
- Driver to search with police a youth’s whereabouts when they leave facility
- Emergency driver for urgent care or hospital care
- Curriculum developer for Oak Grove Center’s Life Skills Program
- Provide care coordinator activities for eight clients including completing monthly computer progress reports on behavior, interventions, food diaries, outings, behavior level system, attendance, and participation in individual and group therapy
- Completed two years of Water Safety
- Completed two years of CPR/First Aid
- Completed two years of ProAct training
- Case consultation and case management using STAR method to provide a suicidal client that ate herself one-on-one supervision for two weeks. Provided encouragement, support, music, reading, cooking, religious discussions, CBT, and Mindfulness skills. Youth survived and is in the process of plastic surgery because her wounds would not heal. Client is reunified with her mother at home.
SUBSTITUTE TEACHER
Hemet and San Jacinto Unified School Districts
01.2015 - 11.2024
- Implement classroom lessons for k-12 students to achieve academic success and high school graduation
- Provide classroom management skills such as rewards for good behavior to handle 35-40 students
- Provide a safe classroom experience for no tripping and space for fire drills
- Monitored students at recess for safety and behavioral issues
- Provide group support in special education classrooms including severely disabled and autistic students
- Provide group support for math and reading skills
- Provide one-on-one tutoring with students with behavioral issues
- Monitor students for staying on task
- Attend monthly trainings for behavior and class management skills
- Attend monthly trainings on technology to enhance student instruction
- Attend monthly training on school safety protocols
- Completed Child Abuse Report training
CLINICAL THERAPIST
California Family Life Center
07.2024 - 10.2024
- Supervision under Dr. Peter Stephens, LPCC
- Managed a diverse case load of 8 clients
- Complete progress notes, documentation, treatment plans, and billing in accordance to Medi-Cal standards
- Provide biopsychosocial assessments including ACEs and DSM-5-tr and differential diagnoses
- Case consultation and case management between therapeutic team, psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and social workers
- Consult with client, therapeutic team, social worker about foster care or family reintegration
- Provide individual and group therapy using CBT, Play Therapy, and utilizing trauma-informed care creating safe peer connections due to living in a very small 9 room home with no privacy
- Leader in Interprofessional Collaboration with client, social worker, and/or family
- Provide crisis management and interventions to incoming clients
- Collaborative treatment goals with client, social worker, and/or family in effort to provide foster care or family reunification
- Driver for youth outings
- Provide youth with medications
- Completed ProAct training
- Completed CPR/First Aid training
- Completed Suicide and Risk Assessment (cu)
- Completed AMFT and APCC Law and Ethics (cu)
- Completed AMFT and APCC Telehealth (cu)
- Case consultation and care coordination using the STAR method by providing CBT, DBT, and Play Therapy for a homeless bi-gender youth with severe trauma. Youth was placed in foster care
- Case consultation and care coordination using STAR method by providing CBT, DBT, and Play Therapy for a transgender youth. Youth moved to a transgender sanctuary for developing life skills
- Provide safety, comfort and healing to children suffering from abuse and abandonment in a STRP residential group homes
MFT INTERN
Life Source Affordable Counseling
Riverside, CA
01.2024 - 04.2024
- Supervision under Dr. Avis Attaway, LMFT and Dr. Guy Balice, Psychologist, PhD
- Managed a diverse caseload of 8-10 clients
- Completed notes, treatment plans, scheduling, and billing according to Life Source Counseling standards
- Provide biopsychosocial assessments including ACEs and DSM-5-tr and differential diagnoses
- Case management and care coordination between supervisors and colleagues
- Counsel individuals, couples, and families in private practice through telehealth
- Research and resourcing psychoeducation for clients
- Completed multiple group supervisions discussing multiple diagnoses/differentials and ongoing safety concerns with clients
- Completed Comprehensive Research Model (CRM) training
- Role-played as a client utilizing CRM in training
- Attended multiple training on personality disorders facilitated by Dr. Guy Balice
- Case consultation and care coordination using STAR method with supervisor and CPS for a suicidal client. Provide trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, de-escalation, and stabilization of the client to advocate and encourage her to call distant mother to take care of the children while she drove herself to hospital. Client used thought challenging and Mindfulness skills to avoid a 5150. Client received a divorce, lives independently with her two children, socializes with friends, and has a full-time job
MFT INTERN
Rancho Milagro Recovery Center-Drug & Alcohol Rehab & Detox Center
Temecula, CA
01.2024 - 04.2024
- Supervision under Elliott Alcala, LCSW
- Managed a diverse caseload of 18 clients
- Completed notes, treatment plans, and billing according to Rancho Milagro standards
- Group curriculum developer
- Provide group therapy to clients in inpatient care setting using CBT, DBT, ACT, Mindfulness, anger management, and interpersonal communication skills
- Provide group therapy to clients in IOP setting using Seeking Safety
- Counsel individual clients about discharge planning and family reunification
- Monitor family days for conflicts and contraband
- Case consultation and care coordination using STAR method to provide therapy to an adult with a homeless and sexual trauma history who relapsed three times after discharging only winding back into the detox center and eventually inpatient. Provided individual CBT, DBT, ACT, anger management and interpersonal communication skills, and discharge psychoeducation about becoming a SUDs counselor. Client is in healthy social relations, has own apartment, in school for SUDs, and helping with AA
MFT INTERN
Murrieta Valley Unified School District
Murrieta, CA
08.2023 - 12.2023
- Supervision under Tiffany Lockhart, LMFT
- Managed a diverse caseload of 5 clients
- Completed notes, treatment plans, and scheduling according to Murrieta Unified School District standards
- Provide individual therapy for high school students suffering from ACEs, academic stress, medical issues, and ongoing family conflicts
- Partnered with school psychologists, counselors, and IEP coordinators to align therapeutic goals with educational objectives for students with disabilities
- Provide group counseling and teacher support in dangerous special education classes
- Provide individual counseling with Play Therapy for disabled and autistic high school students to improve IEP outcomes
- Provide strengths and value-based therapy model for students
- Provide art, drawing, and sculpting for self-expression
- Case consultation and care coordination using STAR method to provide strength-value-based therapy to a bipolar youth with an IOP that suffers from low self-esteem, stress, social anxiety, bullying, and self-harm. Youth graduated from high school and lives with his family
Education
MASTER OF SCIENCE - COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY
California Baptist University
Riverside, CA04.2024
MASTER OF MUSIC - PIANO AND HARPSICHORD PERFORMANCE AND PEDAGOGY
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA05.1996
BACHELOR OF MUSIC - PIANO PERFORMANCE AND PEDAGOGY
California State University
Fullerton, CA06.1993
Skills
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy
- Motivational interviewing
- Trauma-informed care
- Music therapy
- Group therapy facilitation
- Crisis management and intervention
- Clinical documentation and progress notes
- Risk assessment and safety planning
- Treatment planning
- Cultural competency
- Biopsychosocial assessments
- Mindfulness practices
- Problem solving
Affiliations
- California Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
Certification
• AMFT, #147114, 05/31/26
• APCC, #17500, 09/30/26
• LMFT and LPCC Law and Ethics, passed
• APCC, #17500, 09/30/26
• LMFT and LPCC Law and Ethics, passed
Volunteer Experience
- Riverside Public Library, read books to children during reading time
- Schools on Wheels, tutoring services to children in women's domestic violence shelter
- Whittier Public Library, catalogued books
- Access to the Arts, performed World War II piano music for senior citizens, as well as, vocal recitals
Timeline
CLINICAL THERAPIST
Michael’s House
09.2025 - Current
CLINICAL THERAPIST
California Mentor
12.2024 - 04.2025
CLINICAL THERAPIST
California Family Life Center
07.2024 - 10.2024
MFT INTERN
Life Source Affordable Counseling
01.2024 - 04.2024
MFT INTERN
Rancho Milagro Recovery Center-Drug & Alcohol Rehab & Detox Center
01.2024 - 04.2024
MFT INTERN
Murrieta Valley Unified School District
08.2023 - 12.2023
YOUTH SUPPORT WORKER AND CARE COORDINATOR
Oak Grove Center
11.2020 - 11.2024
SUBSTITUTE TEACHER
Hemet and San Jacinto Unified School Districts
01.2015 - 11.2024
MASTER OF SCIENCE - COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY
California Baptist University
MASTER OF MUSIC - PIANO AND HARPSICHORD PERFORMANCE AND PEDAGOGY
University of Southern California
BACHELOR OF MUSIC - PIANO PERFORMANCE AND PEDAGOGY
California State University