Dear Chickasaw Voter;

 

     I am submitting some of my work experience for your review.  I have had 20 + years of Individual and group counseling for a flagship University at Boulder, Colorado. There, I was a University Counselor III.  Initially, I received my Counseling degree at Northeastern State University after teaching in Denver, CO.  I was a counselor for the Tahlequah Public Schools.  I have also been the Director of Counseling at the Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) in Santa Fe, New Mexico as well as the Dean of Students with the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, NM.   I am currently a clinician with a Mental Health Clinic, here in Ada.

 

     Currently, my clinic provides a wellness and prevention program in collaboration with other community agencies in the area.  I have had experience working with community resources in the Denver-Boulder Metro area, Santa Fe, NM & currently here in Ada. I am a strong promoter of student learning and encouraging intellectual growth.  In Denver, I started teaching students at the elementary level and made learning fun & motivating.  This piqued students’ interest in learning to springboard them to the next level of junior high & high school.  I was interested in the process of “resilience.” I believe students of all ages generally find an interest in learning regardless of the teacher or professor, but a great teacher can cause them to excel.   Most of my students went on to study at the University of Michigan, Stanford, other Ivy league schools as well as other flagship colleges in other States. As a teacher & counselor I focused on students communicating effectively with their teachers, counselor and ultimately their professors. One of the classes, I took in graduate school was called, “Motivation of Learning.”  I have used this concept in both my teaching, early on in education, K-12, and as an adjunct faculty member and as a guest speaker at the University of Colorado for social psychology, pharmacology & psychology classes.  I sat on several panels for Cultural Diversity & and hosted a conference namely, “What color is your rainbow, “at the University of Colorado.  I also developed the Mentorship program for the cultural diverse ethnic communities in which incoming students were paired with faculty mentors in their area of study, i.e. English, engineering, architectural design, business, Arts & Sciences, chemistry & physics.  I also developed the White Antelope Seminar for Native American Students which helped them connect with their community peers & provided emotional support and resources.  I collaborated with the Center for Ethnic Studies to develop college credit for internships (for students in their junior and senior year) with major offices in the Denver-Boulder Metro area; Native American Rights Fund, Council of Energy Resource Tribes and the Colorado Commission on Indian Affairs, etc.

    

     I have a broad range of experience and cultural awareness of international students as well.  I have been a Dean of Students at the IAIA with budget of 1.2 million dollars and managed the offices of:  Admissions, Housing, Counseling, the Career Placement Office, Advising and the Student Government. I also provided staff training.  I was in charge of the yearly College Catalog for SFCC & the IAIA and collaborated with faculty to have a new catalog, each academic year.  I was always available to discuss with faculty & classes concerning the factors of adjustment & transition to a University system or college campus as well as offering counseling seminars to the student body, i.e. Assertiveness, How to communicate with your professor, test taking, anxiety, depression, homesickness, decision making, conflict resolution, study skills and what the faculty can look for with a “distressed” student & cultural competency.   I was a member of Outreach Colorado and was a liaison/contact for 12 different high schools for prospective students.  I am familiar with Crisis intervention as a part of my clinical training & experience; ERT and suicide prevention.

I have broad clinical skills in student assessments, treatment plans, diagnosis & I am knowledgeable of wide range of disorders, concerns and degrees of pathology utilizing short-term counseling appropriate for college students,  My training was with the psychiatric dept. of a University Medical Center, community mental health & the University time limited mode of care. I have experience in utilizing career and counseling assessment tools for counseling services.  I have been available to provide consultation & in-service training for the faculty members, administration and student staff members (student government) or class lectures.

 

     I believe I will be a great asset to the Chickasaw Legislator, and am ready and willing to serve and represent the Chickasaw people.  Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

Sincerely,

 

Mary Holden-Nordwall