• 

  Amittia Parker, LMSW, MPA

  Amittia Parker, LMSW, MPA has worked for a decade as a mental health consultant across a variety of settings in Kansas City, including home-based services, childcare centers, school-based services, and health clinics. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas, School of Social Welfare and engaged in research, teaching, and service. Her research agenda is focused on promoting minority mental health, with a particular interest in Black and Latinx families with young children. Her current research projects focus on mental health among Black mothers and social work students, natural helping spaces, and behavioral health service availability and delivery. Amittia promotes racially sensitive practice both within the courses she teaches and in guest lectures. Amittia also provides training and consultation services focused on racial equity and mental health. She serves in leadership roles in local, state, and national venues focused on infant and early childhood, the African American community, and Black social workers.

• 

  Crystal Rozelle–Bennett, LMSW

  Crystal Rozelle – Bennett, LMSW has been working with youth and families for nearly 20 years. She is committed to empowering, engaging, educating and advocating in order to implement trauma-informed strategies for individuals and communities. Mrs. Bennett earned a Bachelor’s in Arts in Psychology from Wells College and went on to complete her Masters in Social Work from Florida State University. During her career, Ms. Bennett has demonstrated a passion in sharing her personal and professional experiences with others to serve marginalized individuals and prevent re-traumatization. Ms. Bennett is a life longer learner and has provided education and support to foster families, facilitated psychoeducation programs for youth, responded to crisis hotline calls for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and trained behavioral healthcare professionals in the areas of Human Trafficking, Suicide Prevention, Child Trauma/Maltreatment, Motivational Interviewing, Racial Trauma, Cultural Competency and serving LGBT youth.

• 

  Lea Vincent, MA, PLPC, NCC

  Lea Vincent is a native of Kansas City, Missouri. She attended high school at Notre Dame de Sion and went on to the University of Missouri- Columbia where she obtained her Bachelor's degree in Psychology. She worked in the social services field for 9 years before pursuing her Masters degree in Counseling. She graduated in May 2019 from MidAmerica Nazarene University and is a Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor (PLPC), Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), and a member of Chi Sigma Iota International Honor Society. She has experience in several psychotherapy modalities including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Attachment Based Family Therapy (ABFT). She currently works for St. Luke’s Healthcare System as an Intensive In-Home Therapist, and provides individual and couples counseling in private practice part-time. Lea is a consultant, workshop leader, and guest speaker within the mental health community, highlighting issues of mental health stigma in faith-based and underserved communities. Lea is a proud wife of nearly 11 years and mother of three beautiful children and one fur baby! As a Black woman, Lea has a lived experience of the effects of systemic racism and oppression that have shaped her ability to recognize its impact. She has done her own work to develop her cultural identity, and has taken the opportunity to educate and assist others in that process by teaching on the subject in Multicultural classes and personal interviews. Lea believes that being well-rounded is an important part of personal development, and manages to balance pursuits in ministry, family, professional career, and education. She believes that the energy put into personal development will prove to be the most important aspect of one's professional career and personal life. Lea understands that “the person of the therapist” consists of several facets, including personal identity, cultural identity, spiritual identity, and professional identity. She believes the interweaving of these identities make up the counselor as a whole, and Lea is passionate about recognizing how those may show up in the counseling room. Lea feels that being a therapist is not only a profession, but a ministry and personal calling. She takes pride in aiding in the healing process and creating safe spaces for emotional expression and speaking one's truth. Lea has a conviction to break the stigma around mental health within the faith-based community with the motto, “See your doctor/therapist, take your meds, and PRAY!”

• 

  Taryn Hodison, MA, LPC

  Taryn Hodison, MA, LPC, provides sound, evidence-based, trauma-sensitive therapy with an emphasis on the unique mental health concerns of African Americans, people of color, and LGBTQIA individuals. Taryn has a master’s degree in Counseling and Guidance from the University of Missouri – Kansas City. She has more than ten years of experience in a variety of mental health settings including hospitals, youth care centers, and community mental health. Taryn specializes in trauma-focused care, paying special attention to how trauma affects our ability to function in the world. She helps clients develop healthy coping skills and create a renewed sense of personal safety. Taryn has worked with clients from all walks of life. Therefore, it’s a priority to acknowledge and affirm the role a client's cultural background plays in the therapeutic process. It is also important to recognize the affect trauma has on people. Taryn strives to promote healing from traumatic experiences, accomplished by collaborating with clients because Ms. Hodison believes they are the true experts in themselves. Her treatment approach is eclectic in nature as she utilizes methods from multiple treatment modalities including CBT, DBT, person-centered and brief, solutions-focused therapy.

Your enrollment includes the full Certificate Program curriculum through Online CE Credits—complete the training, quizzes, and evaluation to earn your CE certificates and your Program Certificate of Completion.

If you’d like to pursue the professional certification credential (including the post-nominal designation and a digital badge), you can do so through Mind Works Continuing Education, LLC (MWCE)—our independent certification body backed by a 30+ member advisory board.

No additional fee: If you complete the full OCEC program curriculum, you can earn certification through MWCE at no extra cost.