Therapeutic Interventions for Families and Children in the Child Welfare System

Sheri Pickover, PhD, LPC is an Associate Professor and Counselor Educator at the University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, MI, USA. She has trained clinical mental health, addiction and school counselors for 11 years and has published several articles on effective clinical interventions. She also founded and acts as the Clinical Director of the University of Detroit Mercy Counseling Clinic; a training clinic providing free counseling to primarily court mandated clients. She provides regular clinical supervision; and as former president of the Michigan Association for Counselor Educators and Supervisors, she co-developed and implemented a 30 hour Clinical Supervision training. She began her career in mental health providing crisis counseling at a runaway shelter. After obtaining her Master’s Degree in Psychological Services, she worked as in-home family therapist, specialized foster care worker/therapist, foster home licensor, foster care supervisor, clinical supervisor, and delinquency supervisor over the course of 15 years. She testified in court cases, drafted petitions for termination of parental rights and drove foster care children to their doctor appointments. Dr. Pickover lives in Southeastern Michigan, USA and enjoys biking and baking brownies for her students and colleagues. Heather Brown is an Art Therapist and Child and Family Counselor in private practice. She started her professional career in Baltimore over 14 years ago and has worked as a therapist, trainer, teacher, muralist, and program developer in a range of settings including a family shelter, day treatment for youth, positive youth development program, palliative care unit, in-home services, school-based interventions, and community mental health agencies. After graduating from Eastern Virginia Medical School with her Master’s Degree in Art Therapy and Counseling, Heather moved to Detroit, USA, where she served in a collaborative program providing for the mental health needs of foster children and their families through program development, assessment, treatment planning, advocacy, therapy, parenting classes, and professional trainings. She happily resides in Detroit, USA with her husband and children. She loves the water, playing, dancing, making art, and traveling with her good friends and family.