Location: Venice
Dr. Thompson has worked in almost every segment of mental health including inpatient and outpatient psychiatric, residential treatment, managed care, private practice, forensic units, college counseling centers and school counseling settings during her 30 years in mental health.
Dr. Thompson was a gubernatorial appointee under three governors in Missouri to serve as Director of Senior and Disability Services, where she also served on the bioterrorism team and authored the Elder Abuse Protection Act in 2001. She holds an MA in Counseling and a PhD is Systemic Therapy. Dr. Thompson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in FL, NJ, DE and PA, a Licensed Professional Counselor in PA and MO, and a certified Military Family Life Counselor for the Department of Defense. Dr. Thompson is a strong advocate in her professional life, having served as president of the International Association of Addiction and Offender Counselors (IAAOC), a national division of the American Counseling Association (2016-2017) and president of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association (2017-2018), where she authored the Title Protection Act to allow professional counselors and marriage and family therapists to diagnose mental disorders.
She extends the advocacy in her personal life as the state coordinator for Handle with Care Florida, served on the Board of Directors for Neurochallenge Foundation in Sarasota and the Manatee County Healthcare Alliance. Dr. Thompson is a nationally certified suicide prevention trainer and recognized by the states of Florida, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Missouri and New Jersey as a qualified supervisor for Clinical Mental Health and Marriage and Family Associates and Interns.
She is also an esteemed educator, serving as a professor at NYU in the School of Applied Psychology, and LECOM Medical School in the areas of Biomedical Ethics and Public Health. Dr. Thompson enjoys her Venice, FL life with her Navy Captain husband, 2 curious cats and an even more curious 8 foot alligator, Snappy.
Her motto in life is “The secret is having it all is believing you already do.”