Hello there! My name is Katie and I currently serve as a National Trainer for Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) through the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
Having worked in the field of Health Promotion in Higher Education for nearly a decade, I have experience facilitating and advanced training in the content areas of:
- mental and emotional health and well-being
- suicide prevention
- trauma
- resiliency
- bystander intervention
- consent
- healthy relationships
- violence prevention
- sexual assault
- LBGTQIA+
- harm reduction
- motivational interviewing
- substance use
- anti-hate & anti-discrimination
My passion for adult education is evident through trainings and conversations with students, staff, faculty and administration in Higher Education throughout the Pacific Northwest. Through my work, I welcome the opportunity to weave my personal narratives of intimate partner violence, mental illness, trauma, and suicide to better connect with a wide variety of audiences from youths to adults, community members to business professionals. I also currently serve as an active member of the Prevent Suicide Spokane Coalition as well as the Washington State Innovative Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Education in Postsecondary Education (INSPIRE) work group, serving to strengthen community and state-wide efforts in implementing effective prevention and intervention in Higher Education.
As a National Trainer for MHFA, I enjoy traveling to various parts of the U.S. training folks to become certified instructors for the program. I also am certified instructor for Adult MHFA–including Higher Education and Rural specific trainings–and host local trainings throughout the Pacific Northwest. I am also a trained facilitator in Campus Connect, Working Minds, Green Dot, Safe Zone, and Stop the Hate training curricula.
In addition to my professional work experience, I am an active member of my community and have previously started several non-profit organizations to better serve our community in the areas of mental health promotion, suicide prevention, and bystander education and activism. My favorite hobbies and self-care practices include baking cupcakes, crocheting, and spending quality time with my nieces and nephews. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Radio/TV/Digital Media Production and Spanish and a master’s degree in Adult/Organizational Learning & Leadership from the University of Idaho. I currently live in Spokane, WA, with my adorable cocker spaniel, Roarke.
