Denise Alvarado has 15 years of clinical experience in a variety of settings, including residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment, inpatient psychiatric, and home interventions with the developmentally disabled.

Currently, she is working as a graduate research assistant to Dr. George Smeaton, the Assistant Dean of Research and Evaluation in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Walden University. In addition to being involved in a multitude of research projects with Dr. Smeaton, she is developing a wellness instrument for Native Americans, called the Native American Wellness Scale (NAWS) as her dissertation research. You can view the Native American Wellness Scale (NAWS) website here.

Awards

Fellowship for Research and Applications for Social Change , Walden University 2008

Student of Color Scholarship, Kirkwood Community College, 1998 – 2000

Business and Professional Women’s Foundation Scholarship, 1995 – 1997

Classes Taught

Addiction Transfer and Technology Center (ATTC) and Iowa Cable Network (ICN): “Toolbox for Counselors” graduate classes at the University of Iowa in counseling education, 2001

Consulting

Addiction Transfer and Technology Center (ATTC) and Iowa Cable Network (ICN), Cultural Consultant and Instructor, (2001)

Practice Research Consortium (PRC), Cultural Consultant, 2000

Iowa Substance Abuse Program Director’s Association (ISAPDA), Cultural Consultant and Diversity Trainer, 1993 – 1995

Presentations

“The Native American Wellness Scale”, Poster presentation, Walden University Summer Research Symposium, Bloomington, Indiana, 2006

“The Native American Wellness Model” Poster Presentation, American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Washington D.C., 2005

The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA: Guest Lecturer – “Cultural Competency and Substance Abuse” 1999

St. Luke’s Hospital, Cedar Rapids, IA: Guest Lecturer – “Native Americans in Substance Abuse Treatment”, 2000

Annual Governor’s Conference in Substance Abuse, Des Moines, IA: Presenter – “It’s a Small World After All – A Cultural Odyssey into Recovery”, 2001; “Women Walking in Balance”, 2001; “Cultural Competency”, 2000

SASSI, Dubuque, IA: Guest Lecturer – “Alcoholism: Out with the Old and in with the New”, 2001; “Designer Drugs and Methamphetamine Abuse”, 2001; “Marijuana Abuse: It’s Just an Herb”, 2001

Youth and Shelter Services, Ames, IA: Presenter/Consultant – “Developing Cultural Fluency through Examination of the Self”, 2001

Program Development:

• Extended Outpatient Program, Mideastern Council on Chemical Abuse, Iowa City, IA, 2001

• Family Program, Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital, Gallup, New Mexico, 1995

• Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Program, Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital, Gallup, New Mexico, 1995

• Cultural Competence Committee, at Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital Behavioral Health Services Division, Gallup New Mexico 1995

• Women’s Codependency Program, Mideastern Council on Chemical Abuse (MECCA), 1993

Professional Activities

Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIPS) Field Reviewer, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), 1999

Iowa Latino AIDS Coalition, Member of Steering Committee, 1995

Additional Expertise

Trained in the Red Road Approach to Recovery by its founder Gene Thin Elk; counseling approach designed specifically for Native Americans

Trained in Applied Post Colonial Clinical Practice by Eduardo Duran PhD, a theoretical approach for Native Americans that uses the trauma of history as the root metaphor for therapeutic interventions.

Professional Memberships

American Psychological Association for Graduate Students (APAGS)

American Anthropological Association, General Anthropology Division

Society for Psychological Anthropology

Iowa Board of Substance Abuse Certification

Denise Alvarado was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She lives in the Midwest with her son, Brandon. Her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren live in North Carolina. She can be contacted at denise.alvarado2@waldenu.edu.