In our effort to be the anxiety experts for adolescents and young adults, Mountain Valley continues to recruit and develop a world-class team capable of innovation and continuous improvement. As you may know, this effort most recently yielded the design of an occupational therapy (OT)-informed, milieu-based phase system; the hiring of two licensed mental health OTs and a PhD-level clinical trainer/supervisor; and the development of a comprehensive clinical and direct-care training system.

Our determined focus on continuous innovation and improvement (look up “kaizen” for more about our “always better” philosophy) is, of course, primarily a “people thing.” We are very proud of our team and their excellent work with our residents. Please join me in celebrating the latest addition to the Mountain Valley team, Dr. Meghan Golden. Meghan, a doctor of social work and licensed clinical social worker, joins us from the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, where she served, among other roles, as the executive director of the medical school’s Trauma Recovery Center.

After months of remote onboarding, Meghan formally joined Mountain Valley as our new clinical director on June 1. As clinical director, Meghan will build on the strong foundation our good friend Dr. Tim DiGiacomo leaves as he transitions to a more training-focused, consultative role. “Meghan is terrific,” Tim says, “and is the perfect person to take this already first-in-class program to the next level. Working with her has been a joy, orienting her to what we do best at Mountain Valley while hearing her ideas for what is possible.”

Meghan is the consummate research practitioner, having secured grants, led research teams, and pioneered new programs for the university while also delivering direct care to clients. Her areas of expertise include trauma, EMDR, and DBT, and she tells us that she is thrilled to work at Mountain Valley because of our “evidence-based, creative, and holistic approaches” to treating anxiety and related disorders. Most importantly, she was drawn to Mountain Valley as “truly a place of healing.”

In addition to being a stellar clinician and dynamic leader, Meghan is also just “good people.” I can’t wait for you — our parents, residents, and referring professionals — to get to know her. Her email address is mgolden@mountainvalleytreatment.org. Please drop her a line to welcome her to Mountain Valley!