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Fall 2007 Training Institute

 

Co-instructor Team for Best Practices for Telebehavioral Health in Alaska:

Jodi Polaha

Jodi Polaha, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at East Tennessee State University where she is helping to develop a doctoral program in clinical psychology with an emphasis in rural primary care psychology to begin in the Fall of 2007. Dr. Polaha earned her doctorate from Auburn University where her work in with children in rural Alabama sparked her interest in innovative services for rural communities. Over the past nine years, she has held an appointment in Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha where she worked in the Department of Psychology. In that position, she directed the Pediatric Behavioral Health Outreach Program, a developing network of rural primary care clinics with integrated behavioral health services for children and their families. Beginning in the Spring of 2004, she initiated a Pediatric Behavioral Telehealth Clinic as an adjunct to the existing outreach program. In this context, she provided weekly outpatient treatment to children as well as supervision and program management via two-way video conferencing. Dr. Polaha has over 15 years of experience providing direct services to children, particularly with disruptive behavior disorders. Her research in the area of behavioral health service delivery in rural communities has been recognized by the National Institute of Health through their Loan Repayment Program for pediatric research.

Catherine Koverola

Dr. Koverola is a clinical psychologist with expertise in the areas of child maltreatment, sexual abuse, domestic violence and cross cultural service delivery. Her clinical practice also includes the intersection of forensic psychology within the domain of child maltreatment, domestic violence and child custody. Dr. Koverola's areas of research interest include: sequalae of trauma, treatment outcome with traumatized populations and forensic interviewing. Currently her primary research focus is community based participatory research on children’s mental health in Alaska Native communities. Her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals. She frequently presents at local, national and international conferences and conducts training seminars on topics that include: assessment and treatment of traumatized children, forensic assessment of child victims, post traumatic stress disorder, and vicarious trauma among mental health practitioners. Dr. Koverola’s clinical and research experience includes working with indigenous peoples in isolated communities throughout Canada and Alaska. She also has extensive experience in the inner city with new immigrant and refugee families from Mexico and Central America as well as African American families who have experienced multiple forms of violence and trauma. She is the founding Director of the Alaska Rural Behavioral Health Training Academy.

Frank Haldane

Frank Haldane is a Tsimshian Elder and recently retired chemical addictions counselor. Haldane was born and raised in Metlakatla in Southeast Alaska and attended high school at Sheldon Jackson in Sitka, before joining the military where he served with the Army/Air Force and specializing in aeronautical communications. Following his military service, Mr. Haldane worked as an FAA air traffic controller for 20 years. After his retirement from the FAA, Mr. Haldane became a counselor for chemical addictions, and worked in Anchorage for the last 20 years. He continues his healing works as a valued Elder and mentor as he shares his cultural wisdom and insight about living within traditional Alaska Native and Western cultures. He also shares his experiences and knowledge in the Cultural Education Program at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage.