Michaela Gagne

I received my bachelor's degree in fine art because I was very interested in art for various reasons. During my time in school, I learned about art therapy, so I minored in psychology. I went on to get my master's degree in mental health counseling and art therapy. From there, I also received a certification in thanatology, which is the study of grief and death and dying, and then I received my CAGS in educational leadership. Before becoming a school adjustment counselor and licensed mental health counselor 16 years ago, I was a teacher in education for 21 years. I was an art teacher in a residential facility. In my full-time job as a school adjustment counselor, I primarily lead any kind of crisis work that needs to be done. I'm a liaison to various community supports, including outside therapists and other referrals that might need to be made for students and families. I do regular typical counseling as needed with kids, run groups for different topics that might be needed, as well as social-emotional learning professional development and other mental health professional development for our staff. I also do trainings for our students with regards to suicide prevention. In my part-time job, I'm Director of Mental Health Initiatives for a local nonprofit called United Neighbors of Fall River. Through them, I lead several initiatives including a lot of wellness initiatives that involve a big community event called Spring Into Wellness Expo, which is a major community wellness event. I also provide free suicide prevention training called QPR, and as a certified trainer in that, I've been able to train about 1,800 people in the last couple years just through local groups that want to receive the training, which has been really great.