About

Hi. I'm Dr. Roun. I have lived in Arizona most of my life and graduated from Arizona State University with Bachelor of Social Work, Master of Social Work, and Doctor of Behavioral Health degrees.

I’ve been a Social Worker for about 20 years and have been fortunate enough to have a wide variety of experiences in that time. My first experience providing clinical services was with the Veterans Administration Hospital. There I learned the basics of the effects of substance use and its treatment. I also gained experience providing case management services on a medical floor and assessing the stability of patients on an inpatient psychiatric ward. In addition to gaining experience in substance use and mental health, I also learned the role of clinical research and assisted researchers in determining the efficacy of certain psychiatric medications.

As I came close to graduating, I took on internship roles with the ASU child welfare training unit, Help on Call, the Arizona State Hospital and an outpatient clinic, where I started my career in behavioral health. As a case manager I worked with individuals with a wide range of emotional and psychiatric problems, and ultimately focused my attention on the criminal justice setting.

After leaving the outpatient setting, I worked briefly for a detoxification center, while simultaneously working in a state prison setting, where I am currently employed. The prison has taught me a great deal about the struggles people have and has furthered my opinion that some problems are better addressed in therapy and lifestyle changes, than simply by medication management. Going to school for my Doctorate further solidified these thoughts and they are now the cornerstone of my work.

I have been trained in a number of therapeutic techniques but prefer to work with people informally. I believe the best way to ensure life changes is to be able to apply the problems, and the solutions, in a real way, minimizing the use of theory. I believe that therapy, as any other change, should come from the person and the solutions be generated from the person. I tend to look at peoples strengths and look for ways to maximize those strengths in treatment, normalizing weakness's wherever possible.
Finally, I believe that the most effective change is when it can be applied to real life situations, so I will try to make connections between your current concerns and past experiences, to facilitate future change.

Some of my favorite websites are:
Psychology Today - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
Arizona resources - https://211arizona.org/
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill - https://www.namisa.org/support-groups-for-family-members-friends/