Megan O’Brien, MSW, LCSW
Megan O’Brien is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. She has worked in the field of social work and mental health therapy since 2013. Megan provides therapy to children, adolescents, adults, and their families, with a focus on child-directed play, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Internal Family Systems, cognitive behavioral, and dialectical behavioral therapies. She works with individuals and families who have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect, and has provided trainings to organizations and community members to build awareness and understanding of trauma’s effect on the brain and how to create trauma-informed services. In addition to therapy, Megan consults with St. John’s Health Care to provide suicide and homicide assessments, consultation, and dedicated examinations for patients at risk of being a harm to themselves or others. She has worked with attorneys and law students at University of Wyoming’s College of Law to develop a more comprehensive understanding of their clients’ mental health needs and trauma history. Megan is considered an expert in the field of mental health.
EDUCATION
Master of Social Work, Advanced Generalist, University of Wyoming
Awards: Graduate Social Work Student Research Special Recognition & 3rd place at the College of Health Sciences Research Symposium
Thesis: “It’s Not Paradise for Everyone: The Housing Situation Through the Lens of Local Social Service Providers in Teton County, Wyoming”
Bachelor of Science, Zoology, University of Florida
LICENSURE
Wyoming Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) #1056
Idaho LCSW #36976
Utah LCSW #11999193-3501
WORK EXPERIENCE
Private Practice - Owner and Bilingual Mental Health Counselor
October 2017 - Present
Owner and operator of a child, family, and adult counseling private practice, specializing in interpersonal violence,
suicide intervention, trauma-informed care, and play therapy.
Implement interventions using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, child-directed play therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing; facilitate multi-disciplinary efforts to ensure clients receive continuity in their care; conduct mental health assessments; and maintain timely notes to meet state requirements.
Jackson Hole Community Counseling Center - Bilingual Mental Health Counselor
February 2016 – June 2017; May 2020 – Present
Perform emergency crisis assessments and mental health evaluations for St. John’s Hospital for patients who exhibit behavior indicative of being an acute harm to themselves or others; communicate effectively with medical staff to ensure patient safety, as well as with county attorney’s office to follow legal requirements for emergency detention holds; maintain extensive documentation to show legal justification for emergency hold; and coordinate care for safe discharge of the patient.
Served as the Spanish-speaking child, family, and adult counselor, specializing and engaging in interventions listed previously.
Teton Behavior Therapy, LLC - Bilingual Mental Health Counselor
May 2018 – June 2020
Completed mental health assessments and provided evidence-based, client-centered, trauma-informed mental health counseling to children, adolescents, and adults.
Implemented interventions using the interventions listed previously.
Created and led summer camp experiences for children with Severe Emotional Disturbances (SED), requiring extensive knowledge of crisis intervention, case coordination, and effective tools for managing children and adolescents with high levels of behavioral and emotional issues.
Community Resource Center of Teton Valley - Executive Director
February 2016 – April 2018
Managed all aspects of agency growth and development, including policy development and analysis, fundraising and grant writing, community and board relations, and strategic planning and capacity building for a new non-profit organization.
Developed and implemented effective services, managed volunteers, and facilitated interagency coordination through creative programming, such as Teton Valley Food Rescue.
Provided case management, advocacy, and referral services to Teton Valley residents with a wide variety of needs.
Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault - Private Consultant
April – September 2015
Investigated and reported on the professional, collaborative response to sexual assault in predominately rural communities throughout Wyoming.
Conducted in-depth interviews with involved community representatives and developed a statewide survey for potential members of Sexual Assault Response Teams.
Bike & Build, Inc. – Non-Profit Organization - Team Leader
Seasonally 2008 – 2015
Successfully led over 180 young adults on six long-distance cycling trips and personally fundraised over $17,500 to benefit affordable housing organizations across the United States.
Worked in a leadership team of four, facilitating team-building and problem-solving efforts in ever-changing locations while maintaining a strict budget.
University of Wyoming Legal Services Clinics - Social Work Intern
September 2014 – May 2015
Assisted third-year law students in analyzing their clients’ social histories, researched relevant issues to develop strategic case plans and comprehensive arguments for court, and connected clients to needed services throughout the state and country.
Taught seminar classes to law students on trauma-informed care, working with vulnerable populations, and client-centered counseling.
Hirschfield Center for Children – Child Advocacy Center - Family Advocate Intern
October 2013 – May 2014
Helped families at risk for child abuse and neglect to stabilize and gain control of their lives through counseling, case management, and therapeutic parenting classes.
Assisted the Forensic Interview process through witnessing, advising, and transcribing interviews and presenting results and developments in multi-disciplinary Child Protection Team meetings.
RELEVANT CONTINUING EDUCATION
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Provider Certificate Training with Integrative Psychiatry Institute, July 2022-May 2023 (currently matriculating)
Internal Family Systems Level 1 Training, April 2021-January 2022
BCIA General Biofeedback Course, November 2020
Introduction to Neurofeedback, May 2020
Psychopharmacology: Overview for Behavioral Health Professionals, June 2020
Suicide Risk Factors, Screening, and Assessment, May 2020
Crisis Management, May 2020
Ethical Foundations of Gender Inclusive Counseling and Social Work, February 2020
Suicide Assessment and Treatment, February 2020
Treating Habits and Addictions with EMDR Therapy, 2019
Behavioral Ethics: A Lens to Examine Ethical Challenges in Social Work Practice, February 2019
Mindful Self-Compassion: Evidence Based Interventions, February 2019
Personality Disorders and EMDR, October 2018
Parent-Teen Therapy for Executive Functioning Deficits and ADHD, June 2018
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy Levels I and II, November 2017 and March 2018
Why Survivors of Trauma Act the Way They Do: Understanding the Neurobiology of Trauma, September 2017
Child Forensic Interviewing based on the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Interview Guidelines, September 2017
Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), February 2017
Bridges Out of Poverty Certified Training, November 2016
The Art of the Relationship in Play Therapy: Deeper Issues, September 2016
Motivational Interviewing Clinical Training, April 2016
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, February 2016
Wyoming Sexual Assault Summit: Start by Believing, April 2015
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), January 2014
RELEVANT PRESENTATIONS
Impacts of Social Media on Mental Health for The Community Prevention Coalition of Teton County, May 2021
Trauma’s Effect on the Brain for western Wyoming law enforcement’s Crisis Intervention Training, October 2020
Trauma-Informed Care for Jackson Hole Rotary Club, February 2018
Trauma-Informed Care for Idaho Department of Health & Welfare’s Children’s Mental Health symposium, July 2018
Bridges Out of Poverty certified training for various organizations in Jackson, Driggs, and Idaho Falls, 2017-2019