NICHOLAS RUTLEDGE
Biloxi,MS
Summary
Dynamic clinical leader with extensive experience at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, excelling in program management and crisis intervention. Proven track record of enhancing behavioral health services, achieving a 180% productivity increase, and fostering team development. Skilled in trauma-informed care and strategic planning, driving impactful outcomes in diverse healthcare settings.
Overview
1
1
Certification
27
27
years of professional experience
Work History
Supervisory Social Worker
US Department of Veterans Affairs
Biloxi, MS
03.2023 - Current
- Successes/accomplishments in this role include:
- Implemented a workforce reallocation program in the Emergency Department and On-Call Service that resulted in $30,000+ savings for Social Work Service annually.
- Developed & implemented a field safety protocol for social workers at the VA who provide care to Veterans in the community.
- Selected as a member of the Best Practices Committee, National Social Work Leadership Council, US Department of Veterans Affairs; nominated as co-chair of the Support & Operations Subcommittee.
- Management & oversight of social work staff in the Emergency Department, Clinical Transfer Office, and Acute Care Unit, Intensive Care Unit, Organ Transplant, and OnCall schedule to ensure appropriate clinical coverage per VA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) requirements.
- Assisting Assistant Chief, Social Work Service, with inpatient bed flow activities.
- As a working supervisor, providing clinical social work services for the Emergency Department, and clinical coverage of Acute Care and Intensive Care Units.
- Participating in the following committees/councils:
- National Emergency Medicine Improvement Committee member.
- National Change Management Community of Practice member.
- National Improvement Office Behavioral Health Cross-Service High Acute Risk Management (CHARM) member; representing ED social work.
- Implemented systematic weekly communication strategy in the Emergency Department to ensure social work and on-call coverage awareness & utilization.
- Participation in the following station committees:
- Social Work Executive Committee
- Social Work Leadership Council
- Variance
- Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) for Acute Care/ICU
- Patient Flow Committee
- Patient Satisfaction Committee
- Quality & Patient Safety Committee
- LGBTQ Special Emphasis Program Committee
- GCVHCS SAIL Champions
- Emergency Management Committee
- Biloxi VA Medical Center
- Tour of Duty: Mon-Fri, 7am-3:30pm
- # Hrs Worked per Week: 40
Clinical Trauma Consultant
Psycamore Psychiatric Programs
Biloxi, MS
11.2022 - Current
- Duties included conducting twice-weekly trauma processing groups with adult patients enrolled in an evening Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program (IOP), as well as consulting on and contributing to curriculum development and clinical program management activities.
- Tour of Duty: Part-Time
- # Hrs Worked per Week: 6 - 9
Director of Integrated Behavioral Health Services
Coastal Family Health Center
Biloxi, MS
01.2021 - 03.2023
- Successes/accomplishments in this role include:
- Expanded access to behavioral healthcare by increasing staff capacity across the organization from 3 behavioral health providers to a team of 15 social work, substance abuse counseling, nursing, and psychiatric providers over 2 years.
- Increased organizational behavioral health productivity from 50% to 180% over 2 years.
- Selected Co-Chair, Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (JEDI) Committee
- Chair, Trauma-Informed Health Systems Work Group
- Selected Chair, Food Insecurity Work Group
- Successfully secured $80,000 microgrant from the Community Health Center Association of Mississippi to implement a small-scale food insecurity intervention for behavioral health & psychiatric patients.
- Continuous maintenance of level III Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) certification requirements.
- Continuous accreditation from the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) for Behavioral Health.
- As Director of Integrated Behavioral Health Services, duties include those listed in previous positions, as well as oversight and management of fifteen employees and approximately 2.5 million dollars in federal funds across the following departments and programs:
- Substance Use Disorder/Mental Health (SUD-MH) and Integrated Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) programs - administrative and clinical supervision of a staff of 10 clinical therapists and several support staff in the provision of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of behavioral health and substance use disorders in a primary care behavioral health setting.
- Psychiatry – providing programmatic, administrative, and clinical support to psychiatric providers and their support staff to include maintenance and monitoring of patient schedules, medication management, and care coordination.
- Overdose Data to Action – administrative and clinical supervision of a grant program for residential opioid treatment for pregnant and/or parenting women with children under 5 years of age. (Mississippi Public Health Institute/Centers for Disease Control funding)
- Children and Youth with Special Healthcare Needs – clinical supervision of a grant program that provides case management and care coordination of identified pediatric patients with qualifying physical and behavioral health diagnoses to assist with management of said conditions. (Mississippi Department of Public Health/Centers for Disease Control funding).
- Tour of Duty: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
- # Hrs Worked per Week: 40
Program Manager, Ryan White & Behavioral Health Services
Coastal Family Health Center
Biloxi, MS
10.2018 - 01.2021
- As Program Manager for Ryan White & Behavioral Health Services, duties include all those of Behavioral Health Team Leader (see below) as well as the following:
- Management of HRSA-funded federal Ryan White services grant exceeding $500,000 annually; ensuring that program staff meet all grant requirements managing the care and treatment of persons living with HIV (PLWH).
- Managing all Behavioral Health and Ryan White program staff including eight Behavioral Health Specialists, a data analyst, retention coordinator, two case managers, and a registered dietician.
- Overseeing all quality management and continuous quality improvement initiatives as federally mandated for all programs.
- Providing programmatic and administrative support to the Executive Team and Administrative Staff for all committees, workgroups, grant projects, and quality initiatives involving behavioral health, psychiatric services, and infectious diseases care management activities.
- Participation in Core Leadership Team, Organizational Process Improvement Team, Quality Work Group, Health Information Technology (HIT) Steering Committee
- Medical Ethics Review Team, Vouchering/Social Services Committee Chair, the
- Mississippi Department of Health Hepatitis C Grant Team, the Children & Youth with
- Special Healthcare Needs (CYSHCN) Grant Team (Clinical Team Leader), and the Mississippi Public Health Institute Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) grant team (Clinical Team Leader).
- Providing administrative oversight and clinical supervision to all Behavioral Health & Ryan White staff members, and clinical consultation and support services to the agency’s Healthcare for the Homeless program.
- Tour of Duty: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
Behavioral Health Team Leader
Coastal Family Health Center
Biloxi, MS
06.2018 - 10.2018
- As Behavioral Health Team Leader, duties included all those of a Behavioral Health Specialist (see below), providing integrated primary behavioral health services to patients in a federally qualified community health center, including the following:
- Managing a staff of eight individuals providing coverage to 13 clinics and 21 service sites across six coastal counties, including integrated primary behavioral healthcare services, Healthcare for the Homeless program recipients, and Ryan White program staff.
- Assisting with program development, evaluation, grants compliance, clinical/translational research, and programmatic licensure and accreditation for all designated programs.
- Overseeing all behavioral health integration-related training, workforce development, and organizational improvement activities.
- Management of the agency’s internship and field education programs for students in social work.
- Management and oversight of all TelePsychiatry and TeleBehavioral Health services.
- Tour of Duty: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
- # Hrs Worked per Week: 40
Behavioral Health Specialist
Coastal Family Health Center
Leakesville, MS
08.2017 - 06.2018
- As a Behavioral Health Specialist, duties included the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of children, adolescents, adults, and families in a primary care/federally qualified health center (FQHC) environment to include school-based health center locations, grades pre-K through 12th; conducting individual, family, and group psychotherapy with identified patients; crisis intervention and stabilization; facilitating warm hand-offs/referrals from primary care providers; assisting in complex case management and clinical care coordination of acute/high-risk patients with multiple chronic health conditions; serving as a behavioral health consultant to FQHC providers and school faculty/staff; assisting with psychopharmacological consultation on identified patients; community outreach and education; assisting with peer review, practice improvement, and program development and evaluation initiatives as requested.
- Tour of Duty: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Private Independent Practice
Hattiesburg, MS
08.2015 - 08.2017
- Trauma Clinician | Consultant | Trainer
- Private Independent Practice, Hattiesburg, MS
- Services provided include clinical assessment and treatment services for victims and survivors of trauma, providing organizational consultation on issues around trauma-informed care, and providing trauma training and practice improvement services for child welfare and mental health agencies.
- Tour of Duty: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
- # Hrs Worked per Week: 40
Social Worker II, Clinical Instructor
The University of Mississippi Medical Center
Jackson, MS
06.2013 - 07.2015
- As Social Worker II: Provided advanced assessment, triage, diagnostic, and clinical treatment and referral services to children with emotional, behavioral, learning and developmental disorders and their families.
- As Clinical Instructor: Engaged in clinical teaching and training activities for medical students, pediatric, and child psychiatry residents. This role required administrative, clinical, and programmatic support of educational programs, participation in grand rounds, and maintenance of ACGME accreditation standards.
- Tour of Duty: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
- # Hrs Worked per Week: 40
Trauma Clinician Educator
The University of Southern Mississippi School of Social Work
Hattiesburg, MS
06.2012 - 06.2013
- Tour of Duty: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
- # Hrs Worked per Week: 40
Clinical Social Work Team Leader
The University of Southern Mississippi School of Social Work
01.2013 - 05.2013
- Duties included direct clinical supervision of MSW practicum students in their 2nd-year clinical placement with the Mississippi Integrated Health & Disaster Preparedness Program, serving as a Primary Care Behavioral Health Specialist providing direct clinical integrated behavioral health services to patients and families at Coastal Family Health Centers’ primary care clinics.
Director of Training & Clinical Programs
The University of Southern Mississippi School of Social Work
08.2012 - 05.2013
- Duties included development and project management of an innovative Integrated Primary Behavioral Health clinical service delivery program in primary healthcare settings; liaising with The National Center for Social Work Trauma Education & Workforce Development to facilitate training of students & capacity building and network development to support the IPBH program; development and implementation of training programs to support the IPBH program; working with local, state and national governmental, non-profit and non-governmental organizations to facilitate capacity building in the areas of emergency preparedness, disaster response and disaster mental health for the Gulf South region.
Clinical Trainer, Child Welfare Training Academy
District of Columbia Child & Family Services Agency
Washington, DC
07.2010 - 03.2012
- As a Child Welfare Clinical Instructor, duties included but were not limited to:
- Curriculum Development & Instructional Design
- Delivery of classroom instruction to pre-service and contract agency employees, social workers, and foster parents
- Collaborating with Supervisory Social Workers to develop individual training plans for trainees, monitoring trainee progress, evaluating performance, and making recommendations for remedial intervention if necessary.
- Research, Policy Analysis, and Program Development & Evaluation
- Grant Research & Writing; Proposal Development
- Administrative & technical support of Academy activities as needed.
- Tour of Duty: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
- # Hrs Worked per Week: 40
Child & Family Mental Health Specialist
District of Columbia Department of Mental Health
Washington, DC
01.2008 - 03.2010
- Homeless Outreach Program/Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program
- Services provided and duties performed included:
- Telephonic Crisis Consultation & Triage/Assessment
- Mobile Crisis Response & Intervention; Community Consultation; Violence & Suicide Risk Assessment
- Crisis Prevention, Intervention, & Management; Making Involuntary Applications for Psychiatric Evaluation
- Direct Service Provision & Therapeutic Support; Natural Supports Development
- Advanced Clinical Case Management, Care Coordination, & Family Teaming
- Community Organization & Development; Coalition Building
- Training, Education, Case Consultation, & Technical Assistance
- Program Analysis & Data Support; Program Research for Practice and Quality Improvement
- Adjunct Clinical Instructor, DC Department of Mental Health Training Institute Duties included developing training curricula and instructional programming for state public mental health agencies.
- Adjunct Clinical Instructor, Institute for Police Science, Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, DC. Duties included curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation of quarterly two-day training events to educate police recruits on signs and symptoms of mental illness in children and families, how to appropriately interact with mentally ill children and caregivers, mental health risk assessment, appropriate policies and procedures for involuntary psychiatric evaluation of children and caregivers, and available community programs and resources for families in crisis.
- Tour of Duty: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
- # Hrs Worked per Week: 40
Mental Health Worker, Senior
Brewer-Porch Children’s Center
Tuscaloosa, AL
10.2004 - 12.2007
- Short-Term Treatment and Evaluation Program (STTEP): Duties included monitoring the physical safety and emotional well-being of emotionally and behaviorally disordered children ages 6-12 in a psychiatric residential treatment facility, maintaining therapeutic milieu, supervising staff shift activities, medical charting, monitoring client medication compliance, and progress through treatment.
- Community Autism Intervention Program (CAIP): Duties included monitoring the physical safety and emotional well-being of children ages 3-12 years old with Autism Spectrum Disorder in therapeutic preschool and school-based settings; maintaining therapeutic milieu; providing one-on-one assistance and support with all educational and recreational activities; implementing sensory integration and floor-time therapies and hand-over-hand intervention; functional behavior analysis and intervention.
Clinical Assistant | Family Resource Specialist
Pine Belt Mental Health Care Resources
Hattiesburg, MS
08.2002 - 08.2004
- Families First Parent Resource Center: Duties included community resource development, public relations, and community education; maintaining a community resource library; design and implementation of parent education classes; office administration and support services; maintenance of client case files; assisting with grant applications; and facilitating community partnerships with local school districts, churches, community organizations, civic groups, and human service agencies.
- Boys’ Therapeutic Group Home: Monitored the physical safety and emotional well-being of adolescent males in a 24-hour residential group home for the treatment of emotional/behavioral difficulties; transportation; supervision of community, educational, social, and recreational activities; design, development, and implementation of a social/life skills curriculum; facilitating therapeutic groups; and monitoring medication compliance.
- The Oaks Group Home: Duties include monitoring the physical safe and emotional well-being of adult schizophrenic males in a 24-hour residential group home, maintaining therapeutic milieu, charting, monitoring client progress.
Mental Health Specialist | Youth Care Specialist
Community Counseling Services
Starkville, MS
03.2000 - 05.2002
- Community Adolescent Residential Treatment (CART) House; Diamond Grove Center: Monitored the physical safety and emotional well-being of adolescent males in a 24-hour residential treatment facility for substance abuse and chemical dependence & a psychiatric residential treatment center for children and adolescents with severe emotional & behavioral disorders; supervision and support of quality of life activities; design, development, and implementation of social/life skills curriculum; facilitating therapeutic groups; and monitoring medication compliance.
Clinical Therapy Supervisor
Restorative & Behavioral Services of Jackson
Jackson, MS
- Duties included the following: providing assessment, diagnostic, and clinical treatment services to children and families, pain management counseling to adult patients, conducting spinal cord stimulator assessments and recommendations, and Worker’s Compensation assessments and determinations; clinical supervision and oversight of master’s level therapists, social work student interns, and psychiatric nursing students; proofreading, editing and signing off on clinical documentation for insurance billing purposes; and managing quality assurance activities.
Clinical Consultant | Trainer
The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness
Washington, DC
- Services provided include clinical training for service providers of homeless & child welfare-involved families designed to enhance knowledge and capacity in the areas of early childhood education & development, attachment and caregiver relational capacity, the neuroscience of attachment & trauma, signs and symptoms of mental illness, trauma-informed case practice, and traumatic brain injury & domestic violence. I also provide clinical consultation on challenging cases of homeless families presenting with a host of mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence issues; general training, consultation, and organizational development, building capacity in the areas of clinical instruction and organizational effectiveness, curriculum development & instructional design, applied research for continuous quality improvement, and managing social media, marketing, outreach, and communications activities.
- Clinical Social Work Services, LLC, Washington, DC
Education
Master of Social Work (MSW) - Concentration in Direct Practice with Children, Youth, & Families
The University of Alabama School of Social Work
AL08.2006
Bachelor of Science (BS) - in Psychology
The University of Southern Mississippi, College of Education & Psychology
MS08.2004
Skills
- Clinical supervision
- Program management
- Grant administration
- Quality improvement
- Crisis intervention
- Staff development
- Trauma informed care
- Care coordination
- Interdisciplinary coordination
- Strategic planning
- Team leadership
- Conflict resolution
- Data analysis
- Attention to detail
- Mental health training
- Data collection and management
- Biopsychosocial assessments
- Therapeutic services
- Solution-based interventions
- Safety planning
- Multicultural competence
- DSM-iV classification
- Behavioral therapy
- Trauma-informed therapy
- PTSD expert
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
Certification
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists, C8105, 04/30/25
- Board Approved Clinical Supervisor (BACS), Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage & Family Therapists, SR00265M
- Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Level 2 (CCTP-II), International Association of Trauma Professionals/Evergreen Certifications, 822788
- Certified Veteran & Military Mental Health Professional (CVMHP), International Association of Trauma Professionals/Evergreen Certifications, 753506
- Certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt (LSSYB), Department of System Redesign & Innovation, Veterans Health Administration
- Veterans Health Administration – Change Management Practitioner (VHA-CMP), Veterans Health Administration/Prosci Change Management
Awards
- Selected to participate in the National Organization for Leadership & Analytics University (NOLA-U), Veterans Health Administration, US Department of Veterans Affairs, 01/01/25
- Trauma Champion Award, 10th Annual Mississippi Trauma-Informed Care Conference, 01/01/24
- Appointed to National Social Work Leadership Council – Professional & Leadership Development Committee, Care Management & Social Work Services, National Social Work Program, Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Health Administration, 01/01/24, 12/31/27
- MSW Teacher of the Year, The University of Southern Mississippi School of Social Work, 04/01/13
- Outstanding Adjunct Faculty, The University of Southern Mississippi College of Health, 04/01/13
- Instructor evaluation score 5.0 and course evaluation score 4.91 (1.0-5.0 scale), USM School of Social Work, 10/01/12
- Employee of the Month, DC Child & Family Services Agency’s Child Welfare Training Academy, 01/01/10
- Annual employee evaluation of 4.8 on a 5.0 scale (distinction achieved by fewer than 2% of District Government employees), District Government employees, 01/01/10
- Recipient, The University of Alabama National Alumni Graduate Fellowship for doctoral study in Social Work, The University of Alabama, 01/01/06
Volunteer Experience
- Member-At-Large, Executive Committee, Association of VA Social Workers, 01/01/24
- Member-At-Large, Board of Directors, Agrisafe Network, 01/01/22, 12/31/24
- Legislative Liaison, The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice, 05/01/20, Present
- Volunteer Social Worker, Integrated Primary Behavioral Health Services, Edwards Street Fellowship Health Clinic, 10/01/16, Hattiesburg, MS
- Volunteer, Domestic Violence Clinic, The University of Alabama School of Law, 02/01/07, Tuscaloosa, AL
- Volunteer, 22nd National Symposium on Child Abuse, National Children’s Advocacy Center, 03/01/05, Huntsville, AL
- Mentor, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi, 11/01/02, 11/01/03, Hattiesburg, MS
- Peer Educator
Grant Funding
- Mississippi Mini-Grant for Food Insecurity project, 80000, Community Health Center Association of Mississippi, 02/01/21, 12/31/23
- Freddie Mac Foundation grant, 50000, Freddie Mac Foundation, 01/01/11, Washington, DC
Professional Memberships And Associations
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 88602128, Specialty Practice Sections member: Administration & Supervision, Health, Mental Health, & Social and Economic Justice & Peace
- International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), Member in good standing
- International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, 5031629
- National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ), 398573
- American College of Healthcare Executives, Member in good standing
- Society of Federal Health Professionals (AMSUS), 79110114
Timeline
Supervisory Social Worker
US Department of Veterans Affairs
03.2023 - Current
Clinical Trauma Consultant
Psycamore Psychiatric Programs
11.2022 - Current
Director of Integrated Behavioral Health Services
Coastal Family Health Center
01.2021 - 03.2023
Program Manager, Ryan White & Behavioral Health Services
Coastal Family Health Center
10.2018 - 01.2021
Behavioral Health Team Leader
Coastal Family Health Center
06.2018 - 10.2018
Behavioral Health Specialist
Coastal Family Health Center
08.2017 - 06.2018
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Private Independent Practice
08.2015 - 08.2017
Social Worker II, Clinical Instructor
The University of Mississippi Medical Center
06.2013 - 07.2015
Clinical Social Work Team Leader
The University of Southern Mississippi School of Social Work
01.2013 - 05.2013
Director of Training & Clinical Programs
The University of Southern Mississippi School of Social Work
08.2012 - 05.2013
Trauma Clinician Educator
The University of Southern Mississippi School of Social Work
06.2012 - 06.2013
Clinical Trainer, Child Welfare Training Academy
District of Columbia Child & Family Services Agency
07.2010 - 03.2012
Child & Family Mental Health Specialist
District of Columbia Department of Mental Health
01.2008 - 03.2010
Mental Health Worker, Senior
Brewer-Porch Children’s Center
10.2004 - 12.2007
Clinical Assistant | Family Resource Specialist
Pine Belt Mental Health Care Resources
08.2002 - 08.2004
Mental Health Specialist | Youth Care Specialist
Community Counseling Services
03.2000 - 05.2002
Clinical Consultant | Trainer
The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness
Clinical Therapy Supervisor
Restorative & Behavioral Services of Jackson
Master of Social Work (MSW) - Concentration in Direct Practice with Children, Youth, & Families
The University of Alabama School of Social Work
Bachelor of Science (BS) - in Psychology
The University of Southern Mississippi, College of Education & Psychology