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Pauline Amaismeier || Carolyn Baird || Dr. Elizabeth Ventura || Vanessa Meredith Pauline Amaismeier BSN, MS, LPC, NCC, RN-BC, DCC
The BSN shows that I have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. The MS signifies that I have a Master of Science in Community Agency Counseling from California University of Pennsylvania in California, PA. The LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Pennsylvania. http://www.licensepa.state.pa.us/ The NCC shows that I qualified as a National Certified Counselor by the National Board of Certified Counselors. www.nbcc.org The RN shows that I am a Registered Nurse in the State of Pennsylvania. http://www.licensepa.state.pa.us/ The BC signifies that I have met the requirements as a Board Certified Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse according to the American Nurses Credentialing Center. www.nursecredentialing.org The DCC is a Distance Credentialed Counselor. I have taken hours of training in distance counseling, which includes learning about online email and chat counseling. This has met the requirements by the Center for Credentialing and Education. Check at www.aascb.org I have worked as a psychiatric nurse with both adults and children who were inpatient in a hospital and outpatient for mental health problems. As a therapist I have worked mainly with adults but have also worked with a few adolescents and children with mental health diagnoses. I have also had a lot of experience in working with people who have experienced some kind of mental health trauma. It may have been caused by a man made or natural disaster, emotional, sexual or physical abuse, accidents, traumatic deaths and grief issues including suicide. I use an eclectic approach in choosing the type of therapy to use for each client. I have been trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), a proven method of working with trauma clients. This is just one, among other types of therapy that I may choose to use, as needed, to meet the needs of the client. Some of these other types of therapy include Cognitive Behavioral, Art (in face-to-face therapy sessions), Narrative and Person Centered Therapies. I have been trained in Critical Incident Stress Management and have worked on the local CISM team. In addition to that I am an active volunteer for the American Red Cross, and have worked on both local and national disasters. The American Red Cross is not involved with my practice as a mental health counselor. I am only considered a Red Cross representative during my volunteer times. I included this because it expands my knowledge in working with people who have experienced mental health trauma. I am also on the Disaster County Response Team (DCORT) for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and can be called to provide mental health assistance during a crisis or disaster. I strongly believe in keeping up to date with my profession. I am a member of several organizations which can assist me in keeping up to date in my local community and state on counseling, mental health trauma and online counseling issues. They are: American Counseling Association, Pennsylvania Counseling Association, Greater Pittsburgh Counseling Association, National Board for Certified Counselors, International Society of Mental Health Online, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing International Association (EMDRIA), and the Association of Play Therapy. Carolyn Baird, DNP, MBA,
RN-BC, CARN-AP, ICCDPD
A member of the International Nurses Society
on Addictions (IntNSA) since 1997, she holds the credentials of
Certified Addictions Registered Nurse (1998) and CARN-Advanced
Practice (2001). In 2002 she received the IntNSA Annual Award
for Excellence in Administration/ Management and in 2008 the
IntNSA Annual Award for Excellence in Clinical/Direct Service.
She was recognized in 2004 with the Carlow University Alumnae
Service Award for Health Care and in 2007 with the Caron
Community Service Awards, Medical Professional-Nurse. In addition to IntNSA, Dr Baird is a member
of the American Nurses Association, the American Psychiatric
Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International and serves as
a Board Member on the Addiction Nursing Certification Board and
the Journal of Addictions Nursing Editorial Board. She is an
author, reviewer, journal special issue editor, presenter and
adjunct nursing faculty member.
Dr. Ventura has had extensive experience treating adults and children, couples and families struggling with various mental health and developmental conditions. She has specific training in both cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy (www.behavioraltech.org), however, believes completely in meeting the needs of each specific individual and therefore utilizes an eclectic approach to enhance the strengths of each individual. Dr Ventura believes in the inherent strength that each person embodies and therefore uses therapy as a place to enhance the inner experiences of each client from a holistic perspective. She has spent a majority of her training working across the lifespan from childhood to adulthood, and within family systems. In addition, Dr Ventura has specific training in addiction, eating disorders, trauma, self- esteem, and mood disorders. Dr Ventura also has training in treatments specific for individuals with neurobehavioral conditions, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, Tourette's Syndrome, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Early Childhood Developmental Delays, and Anxiety Disorders. Lastly, as both a clinician and educator, Dr. Ventura believes in the value of continuing education and professional organizations in the field of counseling. She is an active member of the ACA (www.counseling.org) and participates in the associations' trauma division. She consults for local attorneys regarding conduct and behavioral assessments as part if the PA Bar Examination and remains active in her research and writing. Currently, Dr. Ventura is beginning the process of becoming certified in a trauma specific therapeutic approach, EMDR, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment ( http://www.emdr.com/).
Vanessa utilizes an eclectic approach to counseling which essentially centers the course of treatment based on the individual needs of the client. For example, when working with clients relating problems with anxiety or
depression, cognitive behavioral approaches which examine the individuals thinking patterns are introduced. Couples experiencing discord may need to work on rebuilding communication and conflict resolution skills to help repair their relationship. Families in crisis may benefit from
exploring maladaptive patterns that have developed over time and then identifying ways to change those patterns. In addition to providing individual, couples and family therapy, Vanessa has also facilitated psycho-educational and therapeutic groups/workshops. Groups/workshops include—Coping with Depression, Surviving Separation and Divorce, Managing Stress, Helping Families Cope with Grief and Loss, and Codependency Groups. On an administrative level, Vanessa serves as a consultant in the area of performance improvement to assist agencies/facilities in achieving optimum level of care. This is accomplished by ensuring that quality therapeutic services are provided, ethical standards
are being met, and programs are complying with standards set forth by accrediting bodies or local/state mental health departments. Vanessa has also worked with organizations to provide trainings on Ethics and Confidentiality, Stress
Management in the Workplace, and Recovery Oriented Principles in Mental Health. Vanessa obtained a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from West Virginia University. She then earned a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Boston College, which according to
US News and World Report, has been ranked among the top 20 programs in the United States. |
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My
name is Pauline Amaismeier. Being a mental health care provider,
I sometimes become frustrated when I see “initials” behind
people’s names and have no idea what they mean. Let me explain
my own. 
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