Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling
Term ends: Currently serving, term ended 10/24/2024
Please give a brief biography, including your education, licensure or certification level and employment history:
I hold an MSW and a PhD in Social Work from Barry University, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Florida International University. I’ve been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 2006 and a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist since 2011. I came to social work by way of a detour. I planned to attend medical school, but became a mother instead, and took the first job my degree allowed–teaching in a Head Start program in Allapattah, Miami. There I watched a social worker at work and recognized my calling.
Since 2003, I’ve served a public healthcare system in one of Florida’s most populous and diverse counties. I started as a youth & family counselor, advancing to team lead, inpatient case manager, outpatient clinical manager, and since 202, Director of Outpatient Behavioral Health Services. I’ve built programs designed to make care safe, accessible, and integrated for the whole person: a continuum of substance use treatment services including a program for pregnant women; and initiatives for suicide prevention.
I also maintain a private psychotherapy practice, serve as a qualified supervisor, and have taught as an adjunct faculty at the MSW & doctoral levels.
Give a synopsis of your regulatory and professional experience. Please emphasize your involvement with ASWB:
My I was appointed to Florida’s Mental Health Board in 2021 & have served as Chair since 2022. Under my leadership, we expanded meeting accessibility through virtual options, strengthened qualified supervisor regulation by limiting registered interns per supervisor and codified new supervisor definitions & duties. This clarified expectations and enhanced the Board’s ability to regulate supervision quality and hold supervisors accountable. I’ve deepened relationships with NASW Florida & state counseling associations. My ASWB involvement began in 2022 through new board member training. Since then, I’ve served as Florida’s delegate at every Delegate Assembly since 2023, joined the Bylaws & Resolutions Committee in 2024, & chaired it since 2025. I’ve attended Leadership Weekend annually since 2024 & participated in the 2025 & 2026 Education Meetings. I participated in the regulatory board chair coffee chat starting at the 2025 Delegate Assembly, at the 2026 Education Meeting & then as part of a virtual chat this August.
Finally, make a brief statement on the major issues you see facing ASWB, and how you would address them:
Two issues stand out. First: supervision quality. The social work compact accelerates interstate licensure, which is good policy—but it demands consistent regulatory standards. Entry-level exams measure baseline competence; what develops ethical practitioners is supervision. Supervision quality varies widely. In Florida, we’ve tightened supervisor accountability through rule changes. ASWB can support member boards in doing the same. Second: professional identity clarity. Social work’s breadth is strength, but we haven’t translated licensure tiers into scope definitions that insurers, health systems, and the public understand. This costs practitioners and clients. I would bring the perspective of a board chair, clinical director, and supervisor to both issues. Concretely, I would advocate for ASWB to: co-lead with CSWE on defining licensure-tier competencies; support member boards in translating these into clear scope statements; conduct public education campaigns; and ensure exam and workforce data inform regulatory evolution. This grounds ASWB’s mission: advancing safe, competent, ethical practice to protect the public.