ALFRED GALES has worked with youth and families for 23 years. In 1987 he joined the team at Seneca Center to work with youth in out-of-home care. He began as a direct care counselor, then became a house manager, and later a program director. He has overseen several Seneca Center programs, including latency-aged residential, adolescent-residential, and a public school-based day treatment program. Alfred is currently a full-time trainer and trains and consults with Group Home Providers and foster parents throughout the Bay Area.

HEATHER LEU, MSW, received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan. She has been integrating Adventure Therapy into her work since 2000 and has provided Adventure Therapy trainings to mental health professionals since 2002. Heather has direct experience working in Foster Care and Residential Treatment settings and has worked as a child and adolescent therapist.  She brings her expertise and enthusiasm for this work to the Bay Area! 

BERNADINE LUCKEY, MSW, LCSW, is the Director of the Foster & Kinship Care Education Program for the CCSF Child Development Department. She holds accredited certificates as an Integrated Studies Specialist and Alcohol & Other Drugs Counseling. She has provided education, training, consultation, and counseling to individuals, agencies, schools, and communities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for over 15 years. She has developed a complete set of well-balanced programs and workshops that provide valuable information essential for today’s complicated world. She has coordinated and implemented programs for the San Francisco Superior Court, SF Police Department, SF Unified School District, SF Public Heath Department, Oakland Public Schools, Community Substance Abuse Services, The National Council on Alcoholism, Youth Guidance Center, Family Service Agency, Department of Human Services, San Francisco Child Abuse Agency, California Childcare Resource and Referral Network, Children’s Council of San Francisco, Low Income Housing Fund, Professional Development Initiative, San Francisco City College, Contra Costa College, Merritt/Peralta College, local hospitals, and the faith community. Her teaching style is inclusive, nonjudgmental, and pragmatic.

AIDA MCCRAY, a CCSF Health Education Department faculty member,  works for the San Francisco Sheriffs Department as a Rehabilitation Services Coordinator and is currently working towards a doctorate.

RACHEL B. MICHAELSEN, LCSW has provided mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults in community mental health, residential treatment, HMO, and private practice settings since 1991, and provided clinical supervision since 1998. She has worked with and supervised cases of child abuse and was a Child Protective Worker intern in her first-year field placement. She has taught clinical courses since 1996. Currently, Ms. Michaelsen is the Training Consultant at Asian Pacific Psychological Services and maintains a private practice in Oakland.

ROCIO RODRIQUEZ is bicultural/bilingual therapist with a multi-discipline background.  She has worked in substance abuse recovery programs, court mandated treatment, and with San Mateo County Mental Health. Rocio has worked with families on family therapy, couple counseling, and play therapy. She has facilitated groups in Spanish and English on parenting, substance abuse, and health education. 

JOEL ST. JULIEN has worked with both children and mentally ill adults in the Bay Area and the Philadelphia Area for over five years. Currently, Mr. St. Julien works at Edgewood Center for Children and Families as an Arts Specialist. There, he facilitates arts groups with both residential and day treatment clients. His areas of interest lie in how the media effects the development of a health ego, arts-based education, development of racial identity, and music.

NATALIE J. THORESON, Masters of Education, has 7 years of experience in the fields of social justice education and cultural competency and 10 years of experience training a variety of topics, including youth emancipation, social justice, behavior modification, staff development, and leadership.

Natalie J. Thoreson’s background in psychology, work as a behavior specialist and M.Ed. in Social Justice Education has informed her 10 years of training experience in social justice education, youth empowerment, working with LGBTQ identified youth, behavior modification, communication skills, staff development, and effective leadership.

Natalie has designed and facilitated workshops on cultural competency, diversity and discrimination for numerous audiences. Youth care providers and group home staff, city police, graduate schools of social work, community centers, religious organizations and youth from a variety of backgrounds have benefited from her passion and talent for social justice education. In 2007 Natalie was a featured presenter at the California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC) Title IV-E Student Conference in San Diego.

Natalie possesses an exceptional ability to convey an understanding of complex theories through the use of metaphor, concrete examples, and interactive group process. It is important for her to present workshops in an interactive accessible fashion with the goal of empowering participants as leaders, mentors, role models, and community builders in an increasingly pluralistic society.

TODD WRIGHT, Ombudsman for SF HSA, FCS, has a Master's Degree in Communications. He has participated in dispute resolution as a professional mediator and ombudsman for 15 years. He has worked in juvenile diversion programs, victim assistance, custody and visitation, and child welfare. Todd has taught college-level courses in public speaking and in interpersonal, small group, and organizational communication.