American Center for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences (ACISTE) Certification

I recently completed my dissertation research and received my PhD.  My research studied 32 older adults who survived critical illness.  Some participants had near death experiences, spiritual experiences or other unreal experiences.

During my research I attended a training by ACISTE and am now listed on their website.  More information can be found at their website http://www.aciste.org/

Received my PhD! Here is my updated resume

Liz B. Johnston, PhD, LCSW

1283 Woodside Drive

San Luis Obispo, CA  93401

(805) 471-8102-cell  (805) 787-0106

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

California Polytechnic University SOC 413: Social Work Methods Spring 2010 - 2013

Smith College School of Social Work SSW0361 Family and Social Policy Summer 2010

California Polytechnic University SOC 301 Social Work and Social Welfare Fall 2011, 2012

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Private Practice, San Luis Obispo, CA and Stamford, CT 8/87-Present

Therapist in private practice.  Specializing in alcohol, eating, gambling, and sexual addictions.  Treatment modalities include brief and long-term psychotherapy utilizing individual, couples, and family therapy.

CA certified supervisor for master’s level trainees / interns.  Since 2000 have clinically supervised 18 trainees / interns.  Managed MSW students during their internships at local social service agencies.

Second level certified EMDR therapist.  (EMDR is an innovative eye movement therapy for trauma.)

Facilitate Stroke Club – a monthly support group for stroke survivors and significant others.

Twin Cities Hospital, Templeton, CA 12/03-2/13

Social worker for 110 bed hospital with 10 bed ICU.  Provide counseling to patients and families, including crisis intervention and trauma therapy in Emergency Room.  Member of Interdisciplinary Practice and Ethics Committees.  Liaison to hospital chaplains.  Responsible for coordinating staff response to patients with combined medical and psychological issues.  Evaluate patients for transfer to psychiatric hospital.  Assist families in making end-of-life decisions.

Designed and implemented innovative program to reduce staff stress during two year process of moving high risk medical units, ICU, ER and OB, to new hospital facility.

Teach monthly orientation to social services for new staff.  Provide yearly in-services on stress reduction.

Rehab Care/Sierra Vista Hospital, San Luis Obispo, CA 4/98-12/03

Medical social worker.  Provided counseling and case management to patients on rehabilitation unit.  Diagnoses include stroke, TBI, and post-surgical complications.  Ran support groups for patients and families.  Provided in-service training to hospital staff on psychological topics.  Supervised MSW.  Responsible for streamlining department procedures and forms.

Alliance Home Health/Sierra Vista Hospital, San Luis Obispo, CA 1997-1998

Medical social worker.  Performed home visits to the elderly.  Conducted assessment and referred clients to needed resources.

Community Counseling Center, San Luis Obispo, CA 1997-1998

Intake coordinator for family service agency.  Performed initial intake interviews, assessment, and placement for individuals, families, and children.  Responsible for updating intake procedures and forms.

Kaiser Permanente, Stamford, CT 1989-1990

Primary therapist for HMO.  Responsible for initial intake, assessment, and outside referrals.  Conducted brief psychotherapy using play therapy and individual, couples, and family therapy.  Led workshop for adult children of alcoholics.

Family and Children’s Service, Stamford, CT 1987-1989

Therapist for caseload of twenty clients, age 10 to 87.  Worked with multi-problem indigent families.  Continued specialization in trauma.  Led support group for adult children of alcoholics.

Family Service of Yonkers, Yonkers, NY 1985-1987

Therapist for caseload of thirty clients, age 6 to 65.  Specialized training with trauma cases.  Supervised agency’s intake process.

Guidance Center of Camden County, Cherry Hill, NJ 1984-1985

Therapist for caseload of fifty clients, 3 to 76 years of age.  One third of caseload were deinstitutionalized mentally ill adults.  Established therapeutic group for children of single parent families.  Led therapeutic group for schizophrenic adults.

Irving Schwartz Center for Children, Philadelphia, PA 1983-1984

Full-time field placement.  Therapist for eleven learning disabled children and their parents.

Family Service of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 1982-1983

Full-time field placement.  Therapist for individuals and couples.

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Philadelphia Committee for the Homeless, Philadelphia, PA 1983-1984

Outreach Worker

HOMES Halfway House, Ithaca, NY 1981-1982

Life Skills Trainer

Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service, Ithaca, NY 1981-1982

Telephone Crisis Counselor

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE

Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Ithaca, NY 1978-1982

Biology – Cell Culture Research Specialist

EDUCATION

Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, MA PhD -- 2013

Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, MA MSW – 1984

Thesis: Street Women of Philadelphia – An empirical study of homeless and vagrant street women.

President of Student Government.

Winthrop College Rock Hill, SC Biology - B.S. - Cum Laude-1977

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

National Association for Social Workers EMDRIA  -  EMDR Practitioners Association

HONORS / AWARDS

2012 Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program – Cal Poly – $10,000 Grant / loan for PhD research

2011 Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program – Cal Poly – $10,000 Grant / loan for PhD research

2008 PhD Fellowship:  The Charlotte Larsen and Jeremiah Kaplan Fellowship for Studies Related to Alzheimer’s disease.  Awarded $25,000 fellowship to study couples in early stages of coping with Alzheimer’s disease.

2008 San Luis Obispo NASW Chapter:  Social Worker of the Year 

“For social work ethics, values and practice”

PUBLICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL PAPERS – Social Work

Johnston, L. (2011)   Surviving critical illness: A case study in ambiguity.   Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, 7, 1-19.

Johnston, L. (2011)   Moving a hospital:  Opportunities for intervention and staff retention. Journal of Nursing Management, 42(5), 42-45.

Johnston, L. (2009)     50 Questions and Answers:  Study Guide for the CA MSW Exam, self published, San Luis Obispo, CA

Johnston, L. (2004) 100 Clinical Vignettes, self-published, San Luis Obispo, CA

Johnston, L. (1998) Oral Exam Casebook, self-published, San Luis Obispo, CA

Johnston, L. (1989) Co-Dependency: Feminist Perspectives, paper, Fourteenth National Conference on Feminist Psychology, Newport, RI

Johnston, L. (1985) Homeless and Vagrant Street Women of Philadelphia, paper, Tenth National Conference on Feminist Psychology, New York, NY

PUBLICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL PAPERS – Biology

Wood, H.A., Johnston, L.B., and Burand, J.P. (1982), Inhibition of Autographa Californica Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus Replication in High Density Trichopulsia Ni Cell Cultures,  Virology, Vol. 119 (2), pp. 245-254.

Wood, H.A., Hughes, P.R., Johnston, L.B. and Langridge, W.H. (1981), Increased Virulence of Autographa Californica Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus by Mutagenesis, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, Vol. 38 (2), pp. 236-241.

Johnston, L.B., Vernick, S.H., and Sprague, V. (1978), Light and Electron Microscope Study of a New Species of Thelohania (Microsporida) in the Shrimp Pandalus Jordani, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, Vol. 32 (3), pp. 278-290.