ELIZABETH POLK

• Participate in the assessment of new missionary candidates.
• Provide individual debriefing to missionaries after traumatic/stressful incidents, when they return to the field, or when they re-enter their home culture.
• Facilitate group debriefing at MTW conferences.
• Offer resources on stress-management, spiritual health, raising third-culture kids, thriving teams, processing grief, loss and transition, and other topics of interest to cross-cultural workers.

• Worked with Ethiopian Social Workers to develop and implement a support group curriculum for women living with HIV/AIDS in extreme urban poverty
• Made home visits with Ethiopian social workers to assist ACT project beneficiaries with medication adherence, managing stigma, and other concerns
• Collaborated with other ACT project staff to incorporate a mental health component into their public health education program .
• Participated as a mentor in a program at a medical college designed to develop professional ethics. Taught a seminar on the importance of empathy, listening, and non-judgemental attention in professional care.
• Provided intermittent peer supervision to another counselor working at Ethiopia ACT and occasional case consultation with staff at other organizations.
• Developed a Trauma support network with several other expats and Ethiopian counselors during the unrest leading up to Ethiopia’s 2021 Civil War. Completed facilitator training to use the American Bible Society's Trauma Healing curriculum. Trained Ethiopian pastors and counselors to use that curriculum in areas affected by war. Attended community of practice meetings, supported group facilitators, and provided some individual therapy.
• Taught several stand-alone lectures at an undergraduate level on therapy topics, such as Gottman’s Marriage books, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Skills, an overview of Trauma, and a lecture on marks of healthy institutions.

• Maintained a caseload of 40 adults with severe and persistent mental illness living in North St Louis County.
• Conducted assessments of clients' history, current issues, goals, and interventions.
• Completed accurate documentation, ensuring compliance with regulations and confidentiality requirements.
• Selected to be part of a pilot DBT consultation team and provide individual DBT therapy.
• Provided supportive counseling, linkage to community resources, and crisis prevention.
• Collaborated with clients' psychiatrists and support systems.
• Educated clients on available programs, benefits, and services, empowering them to make informed decisions about their care.

• Provided therapy for 2 individuals and couple a week
• Completed case notes and maintains client files

• Co-facilitated 5 therapeutic groups for children whose parents were divorcing
• Created activities, completed case notes, and assisted with treatment planning
• Participated and gave feedback in sessions with parents
• Co-facilitated psycho-educational groups in the St. Louis City Courts

• Managed a USDA grant serving high school girls in rural MO Counties
• Planned and implemented a social entrepreneurial training camp for girls
• Empowered girls to carry out sustainable projects in their communities

• Lived with four homeless 17-21 year old girls and two other house parents
• Ensured that girls were home by curfew, kept house rules, and completed chores
• Cultivated a home environment that was supportive, warm, and stable
• Available to girls to talk, work through problems, and provide practical assistance

Administered an IL State Board of Education grant designed to support refugee families and the public schools who received their children.

• Supervised a group of staff and interns to provide after-school and summer clubs
• Oriented refugee families to the American educational system
• Presented at schools and conferences on topics related to refugee resettlement and refugee children's unique educational needs
• Enrolled refugee children in school
• Developed a weekly soccer league, weekly art classes, and tutoring program
• Networked with volunteers, other agencies, churches, and community groups
• Maintained case notes, case files, and completed monthly reports
• Ensured program stability through grant-writing, fundraising, and budgeting
• Developed funding and program design for a unique summer school tailored to the needs of Somali Bantu refugee children. most of whom had no prior formal school experience

• Assisted refugees in finding stable employment by partnering with area businesses
• Conducted assessments with clients; matched qualified candidates with open positions
• Worked with each refugee to overcome his or her unique barriers to employment
• Created and distributed promotional material
• Mediated between clients, businesses, and IDHS (Public Aid)
• Maintained case notes and documentation of services

• Lived in rural Peru for six months with a Peruvian family
• Assessed engagement levels of community health volunteers in about 20 villages
• Completed coursework in community development, Third World Issues, and holistic programs
• Translated between English and Spanish for the Luke Society and foreign guests