Tamia Deschmidt
Northwest Educational Service District 189
Portland,OR
4
years of professional experience
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Student with 2+ years of experience providing crisis mental health services and direct behavioral/social/interpersonal skills instruction to youth in behavioral school settings or equine assisted psychotherapy programs. Successfully utilized Life Space Crisis Intervention, trauma-informed care, and cognitive behavioral therapy interventions with young clients to support their identification of distorted thinking patterns or alternative behaviors aligned with treatment goals. Skilled in the provision of motivational interviewing and risk assessments with a proven ability to develop strong interpersonal relationships with clients.
Work History
Paraeducator, Special Education
1 Year 11 Months- Tier 3 behavioral school servicing clients aged K-12 experiencing significant emotional, social, and behavioral challenges.
- Level 3 Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) service provider that utilized Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Theory, and the Life Space Interviewing (LSI) model to transition mental health crisis situations into learning opportunities for youth at risk for legal or academic consequences and suicidal or homicidal behavior.
- QBS Safety-Care (v7) Specialist and School Age Children Specialist that implemented behaviorism, differential reinforcement, antecedent control, and safety interventions (e.g., Manual restraints or room clearance for safety) to encourage incident prevention and clients’ use of alternative safe behaviors.
- Facilitated restorative justice circles utilizing the Social Discipline Window to teach interpersonal skills, restore interpersonal relationships, and reduce instances of exclusionary disciplinary practices seen within the school-to-prison pipeline or justice system.
Royal Family Kids Camp Volunteer
1 Year 1 Month- Assisted with behavior redirection, reinforcing camp expectations and trauma-informed support.
- Assisted with behavior redirection, reinforcing camp expectations and trauma-informed support.
- Prepared activity supplies, materials, and spaces for smooth transitions between scheduled events.
- Built trusting relationships with campers, encouraging inclusion, comfort, and emotional stability.
- Collaborated with families, leadership, and support teams to coordinate care.
Intern/Youth Mentor
5 Months- Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) and Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) led internship servicing Pre-K and K-12 aged clients with significant mental health conditions (e.g., Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, or prolonged grief).
- Facilitated weekly school group programs or individual sessions for youth and their families to promote clients’ development of self-awareness, coping strategies, or decision-making skills.
- Collected clients’ biopsychosocial data and provided ongoing informal assessments to determine relevant treatment goals or evaluate intervention effectiveness over time.
- Provided referrals or community resources to clients that aligned with treatment goals and legal requirements for guardian consent.
Mobile A.N.T. Volunteer
5 Months- Mobile therapeutic animal visits in senior care facilities, schools, universities, and businesses that provide community members with mental and behavioral health support.
- Provided community member education on coping skills for stress reduction, social skills, alternative safe behaviors to physically unsafe behaviors, and the impact of self-awareness or emotional regulation for mental health.
- Facilitated group therapeutic animal experiences for community members that encouraged anxiety symptom reductions, positive social experiences, and the development of skills needed to sustain mental efforts or complete tasks.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Human Services
- Awarded Quarterly President's List
- Honor Roll Spring 2023
Master of Science - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
- 4.0 GPA
- Relevant Coursework: Ethical, Legal and Professional Issues in the Practice of Counseling & Orientation to Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Skills
Behavior modeling
Crisis intervention
Program planning
Conflict resolution
Motivational interviewing
Project management
Group instruction
Client records management
Biopsychosocial assessments
Individualized treatment planning
Reinforcement procedures
Intake assessments
Small group instruction
Timeline
Paraeducator, Special Education
Northwest Educational Service District 189
10.2023 - 09.2025Read More
Royal Family Kids Camp Volunteer
Royal Family Kids Camp
06.2022 - 07.2023Read More
Intern/Youth Mentor
Animals As Natural Therapy
03.2022 - 08.2022Read More
Mobile A.N.T. Volunteer
Animals As Natural Therapy
03.2022 - 08.2022Read More
Bellevue University
Master of Science from Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Read More
Western Washington University
Bachelor of Arts from Human Services
Read More
Additional Leadership Work Experience
Shift Manager - Papa Murphy's
Bellingham, WA 10/2020 - 11/2023
- Supervised 15 team members and all product inventory within a QSR environment to ensure guest service protocols, product quality standards, safety practices, labor laws, food handling practices, and cash handling procedures were adhered to.
- Utilized motivational interviewing techniques, unconditional acceptance, and grounding exercises with team members and customers to encourage conflict de-escalation or motivation for exhibiting safe behaviors in the QSR environment.
- Trained team members and developed performance improvement plans for staff needing additional skill development
- Completed accurate shift and daily paperwork utilizing the POS system.
- Addressed health emergencies, guest complaints, equipment problems, and team member conflicts in alignment with company standards or procedures.