Vali Hawkins Mitchell

I have two ways to describe myself: as a writer/artist and as a mental health professional:

The artist/writer me has been art making forever: composing and performing music, assemblage and photography and receiving a few awards, struggling with my no-skill-at-drawing efforts, and dabbling with whatever I'm in the mood for. As an author you can look for a few of my products on Amazon or one of my websites (www.improvizion.com and www.eap.com ) I write for my company, Employee Assistance of the Pacific, have books on business (Rothstein and Associates) quantum poetry, disaster preparation, parkour, and well...you name it. I write around genres finding my different voices. In fact, my newest book #WeAreManyWomen: Many Voices, encourages people to discover and share their unique voices from moment to moment. If we can't hear our own voices, how can we share with others?

My other work is in the Mental Health field. Although I am not particularly attached to my professional "credentials" I am the co-owner of Employee Assistance of the Pacific and ImproVizion Consulting in Honolulu, Hawaii. I hold a PhD in Health Education a master’s degree in Psychology, and another master’s degree in Expressive Arts Therapy. I'm a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Trauma and Resiliency specialist, Business Consultant, Life Coach, well published writer and author in professional trade journals. A former National Disaster Responder, University Faculty, and Consultant for the Department of Defense. Writing, coaching, consulting, and counseling resiliency choices has been my personal and professional focus since childhood. I’m not sure how many people could say they made a career choice at birth! But since I was born in the middle of an earthquake that measured 7.1 on the Richter scale, it does seem fitting that I’ve made a career paying attention to how individuals, families, organizations, and communities deal with the emotional reactions that come before, during, and following crises or catastrophic disasters. My book "The Cost of Emotions in the Workplace" (Rothstein and Associates) is used by many companies as a method of dealing with difficult employees and preparing for emergencies.

On personal note, I live with my husband Dave and our goofy dog Max, a block from the ocean and across the street from the Honolulu Zoo.