Bridging the Gap on Addiction

Garland has a unique strength for speaking about Addiction and Mental Health. 

She is a person in recovery, a clinician and a researcher. Having a membership in all three areas, she envisions herself assisting to bridge the gap between academia, clinical/professional practice, and the public.

Garland is a PhD candidate at UC San Diego, School of Medicine/San Diego State University, School of Social Work specializing in Research on Substance Use. She has a master's degree in Clinical Psychology with a training emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy and specializations in Addictive Disorders and Psychological Trauma. She has completed specialized training in Biofeedback and Neurofeedback and obtained a Certification in Alcohol and Drug Counseling (CADC-II) through the state of California. 

Garland works within the community providing Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and Mental Health awareness education to clinicians, law enforcement, families, and students. 

Her research has focused on Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health related stigma, primarily within the criminal legal system. Currently, she is working on research exploring and assessing legal professional burnout and how it affects occupational wellness, as well as case related practices. She also has completed work on the San Diego Sheriff's Department Naloxone Training Program rescope project.

Garland is in long term recovery and has dedicated her life to studying Addiction and Mental Health, helping others get educated, as well as recover. 

The goal is to have substance use and mental health dialogue to bridge the gaps between the worlds of academia, professionals and the public!

 She believes that bridging the gaps can create an alliance- producing more impactful research, resulting in improvements in the epidemic of Addiction. 

Garland is proud to provide a high quality level of psycho-education, counseling, research consultation, outreach, advocacy and commitment to understanding health and wellness to all. 

Garland has over 15 years of professional experience in the Mental Health and Addictions field. 

She has worked in public agencies, schools, treatment facilities, as well as private clients within the Entertainment Industry, as a Recovery Coach and Counselor. She has experience conducting interventions, assessments, groups, consulting, family and one-on-one counseling sessions. 

As a Neurofeedback Specialist, Garland conducts assessments and develops protocols to re-regulate the brainwaves in the treatment of various types of diagnosis such as Addictive Disorders, Anxiety, ADHD, PTSD and other disorders.