perm filename RESUME.DOC[AM,DBL] blob sn#362385 filedate 1978-06-17 generic text, type T, neo UTF8
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00400	                         CURRICULUM   VITAE                         
00500	
00600	
00700	                          Merle Ellyn Lenat
00800	
00900	                           142 Anita Ave.
01000	                        Pittsburgh, Pa. 15217
01100	
01200	                       Telephone: 412-521-4617
01300	
01400	                             June,  1978
01500	
01600	
01700	
01800	
01900	 EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: 
02000	
02100	
02200	High School: Philadelphia High School for Girls; June, 1968.
02300	
02400	B.A. in Psychology: Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa.; May, 1972.
02500	
02600	M.A.  in  Psychology:  San  Francisco  State  University,  S.F., Ca.;
02700	      December, 1974.
02800	
02900	"Transactional Analysis 101" course; May, 1975.  (Entitled me to join
03000	      the ITAA)
03100	
03200	M.A.  in Family  and Marriage  Counseling: U.  of Santa  Clara, Santa
03300	      Clara, Ca.; March, 1976.
     

00100	
00200	
00300	 WORK EXPERIENCE: 
00400	
00500	
00600	1971:  Worked  with  mentally  retarded  and   emotionally  disturbed
00700	      children  and  adults,  teaching  them  such  living  skills as
00800	      socialization and educational skills.  I counselled  several of
00900	      these people on a one-to-one basis and found it very rewarding.
01000	      The relationships I formed  with them were intense, and  I will
01100	      always remember the experience.
01200	
01300	1972: Worked as an  employment counselor at an employment  agency.  I
01400	      interviewed clients, found out what they wanted and what skills
01500	      they had,  and I then  tried to match  them up  with interested
01600	      employers.  I did not enjoy this, due to pressures to place the
01700	      client  with anyone,  just  so the  agency could  get  its fee.
01800	      Therefore, I left.
01900	
02000	1973-1974: Worked as a research assistant with two psychiatrists, Dr.
02100	      Ken Colby and Dr. Frank Hilf, at Stanford University.   Part of
02200	      my duties involved  working with psychiatric inpatients  at the
02300	      Palo  Alto Veterans  Administration Hospital,  on ward  4B3.  I
02400	      attended  community  meetings   run  by  the   patients,  staff
02500	      meetings, intakes  done by the  staff, and small  group therapy
02600	      meetings.  Through  one way mirrors,  I observed  family groups
02700	      and some individual therapy.   I interviewed the patients  on a
02800	      one-to-one basis about their feelings and "illness", and worked
02900	      with them on the interviewing via the computer.
03000	
03100	      During the  summer of  1974 I  also became  an observer  in the
03200	      hospital's  Family  Study   Unit.   I  gave  feedback   to  the
03300	      therapists  doing couple  and sex  therapy and  family therapy.
03400	      These experiences inspired me  to become a marriage  and family
03500	      counselor myself.
03600	
03700	1974  - July,  1976:  Working as  a volunteer  therapist  and student
03800	      intern at Central Mental  Health Agency of Santa  Clara County.
03900	      My   experience  has   been  broad   there,   including  seeing
04000	      individuals,  couples,  and   families  as  clients.    On  the
04100	      immediate  treatment service  (ITS), I  diagnosed  and referred
04200	      patients  to appropriate  counselors  or settings,  as  well as
04300	      doing  actual crisis  counseling.   I have  done  both conjoint
04400	      therapy (with a male  therapist) and therapy I  conduct myself.
04500	      Groups are also a part of my experience at the  clinic.  During
04600	      this past  year I  co-led a  "parent" group  once a  week.  The
04700	      group consisted of parents of hard to control children  (age 4-
04800	      7) who needed support  and help for themselves.  We  dealt with
04900	      many  individual  problems  such  as  low  self  esteem,  guilt
05000	      feelings,  relationship  problems,  and  of  course  "parental"
05100	      problems.  This  year I co-led  a "family" group  consisting of
     

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00300	      parents of adolescents and, once a month, the children as well.
00400	      In this group we dealt with couple problems, so a great deal of
00500	      time was spent on working out hassles with the spouses.  I also
00600	      observed a T.A.  group in which I sat among the clients.  After
00700	      the group  there would  be a seminar  where the  observers give
00800	      feedback to the therapists and discuss T.A.  concepts.  As part
00900	      of  my service  to  the clinic  I received  supervision  from a
01000	      Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Mr.  James O'keefe.   We would
01100	      discuss therapeutic stratagies as well as my  personal feelings
01200	      about the people  involved (e.g., how  to keep my  own hang-ups
01300	      and  values  from getting  in  the way  of  therapy).   Also, I
01400	      attended  a weekly  student  seminar where  staff  and students
01500	      present cases  they are working  on, for suggestions  and self-
01600	      clarification.  Last  year I presented  two case studies  to my
01700	      colleagues and their suggestions helped me a great deal.
01800	
01900	March, 1975 - June, 1975: Co-led a sensitivity group at University of
02000	      Santa  Clara.   The  members of  the  group  were  students and
02100	      teachers  in the  counselling department.   My co-leader  and I
02200	      used  many techniques  to  gain group  cohesiveness:  using "I"
02300	      messages, talking  in the  "here and now",  group hugs,  and no
02400	      gossiping  about group  members.  We  also  promoted individual
02500	      growth by using techniques such as confrontation, assertiveness
02600	      training, doubling, and giving loads of support.  I  found this
02700	      experience very challenging, for I led the group  completely on
02800	      my own a few times when my co-leader was sick.  I  learned much
02900	      about myself those times, and found the experience invaluable.
03000	
03100	January, 1977 - present:  I am currently a psychiatric  social worker
03200	      at the inpatient unit at St. John's Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa.
03300	      As such, I coordinate overall patient care.  When a  patient is
03400	      admitted, I first do  an initial assessment.  This  consists of
03500	      collecting  clinical  and  social data  from  the  patient, his
03600	      family, staff members,  and other agencies having  knowledge of
03700	      the  patient  or  his  situation.   Examples  of  the  clinical
03800	      information I seek include checking the patient's affect to see
03900	      whether it  is flat,  suspicious, manic, etc.,  as well  as his
04000	      mental status.   I also check  the patient for  data concerning
04100	      his physical condition including whether there has  been weight
04200	      loss, sleep disturbance, or any somatic complaints.
04300	
04400	      I then provide individual,  family, and group therapy  for each
04500	      patient  around  crisis  areas  that  exist  that   might  have
04600	      precipitated the psychotic  break.  For individual  therapy, my
04700	      therapeutic techniques include both the verbal  reality therapy
04800	      and the nonverbal approach which sometimes include just sitting
04900	      there and  being with the  person.  In the  groups that  I have
05000	      led,  especially with  the more  psychotic patients,  there has
05100	      been an  emphasis on art  therapy techniques:  group paintings,
     

00100	
00200	
00300	      individual clay  work, painting what  one feels at  the moment.
00400	      When the  art phase is  over, each member  of the  group shares
00500	      what  he created  and what  the creation  means to  him.  Other
00600	      therapeutic  approaches I  have tried  individually and  in our
00700	      groups include listening to songs and reading the words  to the
00800	      songs that might have meaning to their lives.  [E.G.  "I've Got
00900	      A Friend",  "Sitting Alone In  Your Room", "I  Am A  Rock".] In
01000	      some of  my more verbal  sessions with the  group we  deal with
01100	      important topics  such as  "what is depression  and how  can we
01200	      prevent it from taking  control", "assertiveness or how  to get
01300	      what  you want  and need  effectively", "the  stigma  of mental
01400	      illness  and  how  to  deal  with  that",  "the  importance  of
01500	      following  through with  after-care medications  and outpatient
01600	      therapy", and "how to deal with your anger without getting into
01700	      trouble".  In family  counseling sessions which I  emphasize in
01800	      therapy,  I  work  with  them  on  their  feelings   about  the
01900	      "patient", the acceptance of the situation,  expectations about
02000	      the hospitalization that are real and point out those  that are
02100	      not attainable.  I  support them as  well as being  the patient
02200	      advocate.  I try to answer any questions they might  have about
02300	      the patient and the process of recovery.  As well as this, I am
02400	      modeling for them appropriate  handling of the patient,  and at
02500	      the same time, I am trying to deal with the crisis areas in the
02600	      family.  Communication skills are stressed here.  Since this is
02700	      a very  short term hospitalization  experience of two  to three
02800	      weeks I can not do intense family psychotherapy. However,  I do
02900	      stress  the  continuation  of family,  as  well  as individual,
03000	      therapy after discharge from the hospital.
03100	
03200	      As this  is a team  approach, I go  to frequent  staff meetings
03300	      (three times a week) where we discuss patient  treatment goals,
03400	      and patient status.  Upon  imminent discharge of the  patient I
03500	      do  discharge  planning.   This  includes  setting   up  living
03600	      arrangements, setting up outpatient follow-up  appointments, as
03700	      well as giving treatment reccomendations for  follow-up.  Along
03800	      with each patient I write  up and send with the chart  a social
03900	      history.   This  includes  all  relevant  information regarding
04000	      patient's life course and  recent problem areas.  Also  in this
04100	      social history is included what was accomplished by the present
04200	      hospitalization  and how  the  patient related  to  his family,
04300	      staff, friends and other patients while he was in the hospital.
04400	      Finally, I put down reccomendations for further treatment.
04500	
04600	
04700	
04800	
     

00100	
00200	 PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS: 
00300	
00400	
00500	Psi Chi (Psychology Honorary Organization)
00600	
00700	I.T.A.A. (International Transactional Analysis Association)
00800	
00900	C.A.M.F.C. (California Association of Marriage and Family Counselors)
01000	
01100	A.A.M.F.C. (American Association of Marriage and Family Counselors)
01200	
01300	W.P.G.P. (Western Pennsylvania Group Psychotherapy Association)
01400	
01500	
01600	 REFERENCES: 
01700	
01800	
01900	1.   Mr.  Rod   Coffman,  MH/MR   Emergency  and   Inpatient  Service
02000	      Coordinator, St. John's Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pa., 412-766-8300
02100	      x388.
02200	
02300	2.  Dr. Harry  J.  Ross, Psychiatrist  on MH/MR  inpatient  unit, St.
02400	      John's hospital, Pittsburgh, Pa., 412-766-8300 x208.
02500	
02600	3. Mr. James O'keefe, L.C.S.W.  Central Mental Health Agency of Santa
02700	      Clara Valley,  Bascom and Moorpark  Aves., San Jose,  Ca.  408-
02800	      286-5442.
02900	
03000	4.  Professor Charles Swenson, University of Santa  Clara, Department
03100	      of Graduate Humanities, Santa Clara, Ca.  408-984-4434
03200	
03300	5. Ms. Eileen Bobrow,  M.A.  San Andreas  Health Council, Palo  Alto,
03400	      Ca.,   415-326-8655
03500	
03600	6. Dr.  Franklin D.  Hilf,  M.D.  20 W. 64th Street, Apt.   #41K, New
03700	      York, New York 10023.  212-352-1619.
03800	
03900	7. Professor Mary Ann Smith, University of Santa Clara, Department of
04000	      Graduate Humanities, Santa Clara, Ca.  408-984-4434
04100	
04200	8. Professor Kenneth Blaker, University of Santa Clara, Department of
04300	      Graduate Humanities, Santa Clara, Ca.  408-984-4434
04400	
04500	9. Professor Edward Feigenbaum, Chairman, Computer Science Department,
04600	      Stanford University, Stanford, Ca., 415-497-4878
04700	
04800	10. Dr. Robert Balzer,  Information Sciences Institute, Admiralty Way,
04900	      Marina Del Rey, Los Angeles, Ca. 
05000	
05100	11. Dr. Daniel Bobrow,  Xerox PARC,  3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto,
05200	      Ca.,  415-494-4000.