Biography
CV
The Model
Acknowledgements
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QUALIFICATIONS
Skilled and credentialed business coach/trainer/educator/psychologist. Twenty-one years experience cultivating a strengths-based growth approach of coaching, consulting, training and counseling individuals, systems and organizations. Successful business and program entrepreneur. Innovative program design and implementation. Transition/change specialist assisting organizations with departmental consolidation and/or expansion. Develops communication strategies to gain employee trust to promote the organizational strategic plan. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) design, implementation and directing. Designs and conducts research regarding system needs, client satisfaction and clinical outcomes, linking leadership development with employee performance and customer satisfaction. Coaches and trains at all levels on topics related to professional and personal excellence, leadership, communication, coping with stress and team building. Understands the fiscal reimbursement and staffing challenges unique to healthcare. Understands the organizational challenges and complexities of the hospital table of organization, its interface with physician, nursing and other allied health professionals. Develops and coordinates multi-interdisciplinary teams. Sensitivity to international cultural factors that impact communication and health care delivery. Expertly qualified to leverage psychological principles of behavior change, emotional intelligence, and strengths based leadership to maximize employee dedication, performance and flexibility to change to positively impact the organization’s mission.
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KEY SELECTED STRENGTHS
Training and Leadership Development
- Delivery of management, leadership, wellness, and clinical training presentations, conference and workshop presentations
- Provides expert public service multi-media news interviews regarding emotional distress and chronic illness, trauma, communication skills and employee wellness.
- Design and implementation of unique innovative collaborative clinical programs within various sectors: public utility; local, state and federal government; and health care facilities..
- Developed the first freestanding hospital based medical psychology practice devoted to the treatment of patients with chronic medical illness, collaborating with Pain Specialists, Cardiologists, Oncologists and Pulmonologists.
- Developed the first corporate wide Wellness Promotion Program for the Pennsylvania Electric Company.
- Developed coaching relationships with local professional and medical executives.
- Developed and coached a patient quality improvement initiative to patient satisfaction scores leveraging a Strengths Based approach with psychometric education, leadership coaching and staff education.
Career/Executive and Professional Development Coaching
- Coaching of local CEOs, executives, administrators and managers regarding leadership concerns, team building, and transition/change management.
- Coaching interventions based on leveraging principles of change by maximizing client strengths, overcoming personal or systemic obstacles using individual and team resources.
- Competency-Based or Skills-Based Coaching approach linking individual and team psychological wellbeing with effective leadership and employee development with improved customer satisfaction.
- Academically trained and professionally licensed to critique, administer and interpret psychometric testing such as to assist with team building, customer satisfaction, employee selection, retention and re-assignment.
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EXPERIENCE
Medical Psychology & Rys Consulting (2001 - present)
Psychologist, trainer, EAP director, consultant and coach. Transitioned from a psychologist position within a local hospital to founder of a system wide department of Medical Psychology collaborating with various hospitals and departments on expanding the scope of medical care to be multi-discipline and enhance sensitivity to emotional distress. Facilitate committees regarding the promotion of customer based patient care with particular attention to alleviation of pain and end-of-life concerns. Executive coaching with hospital executives, managers directors, and staff to enhance leadership skills, promote conflict resolution and team development, assist with systemic change, transitions and consolidation.
Berkely Hills Medical Psychology (2007 to present)
Responsible for development and implementation of a fully integrated family medicine/psychology practice. Dedicated to the emotional needs of medical patients. Services provided in an in-patient and out-patient setting. Provide community education services as well as allied health and medical resident and physician training.
Conemaugh Health System (1999 –2005)
Psychologist, trainer, EAP director, consultant and coach. Transitioned from a psychologist position within a local hospital to founder of a system wide department of Medical Psychology collaborating with various hospitals and departments on expanding the scope of medical care to be multi-discipline and enhance sensitivity to emotional distress. Facilitate committees regarding the promotion of customer based patient care with particular attention to alleviation of pain and end-of-life concerns. Executive coaching with hospital executives, managers directors, and staff to enhance leadership skills, promote conflict resolution and team development, assist with systemic change, transitions and consolidation.
Pennsylvania State Civil Service (1990-1999; 2005-2006) Worked in traditional clinical treatment settings such as in-patient state psychiatric hospitals and correctional facilities. Selected to develop, initiate and train personnel for a new Drug & Alcohol Treatment Unit. Developed and implemented an evening family therapy and family education program. Appointed to treat incarcerated combat trauma victims and sexual offenders. Wrote a treatment manual for Critical Incident Debriefing for Riot Hostages. Invited to conduct collaborative research with the University of Pittsburgh regarding the assessment of medication outcomes for treatment of psychotic patients. Conducted traditional psychotherapy, assessment, testing services, multi-discipline treatment team planning.
MetComm, Inc. (2001 – 1999)
Co-founder and executive board member of a private corporation dedicated to Human Resource Training and Consulting, EAP services, Federal Veterans Administration Grant for Combat Veterans, Psychotherapy and Court Appointed Forensic Testing services.
Cambria County Mental Health Services (1984 to 1990)
Psychotherapy, assessment, testing and diagnosis. Developed and implemented a Partial Hospitalization Adolescent Treatment Unit and Sexual Abuse Treatment Unit. Forensic assessments and testimony.
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EDUCATION
- International & Cultural Training: Doctoral seminars in Kyoto Japan, Oaxaca Mexico, Ghost Ranch New Mexico and Kripalu Center in Massachusetts.
- Post-Doctoral Training: Awarded an externship position in New York City at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute.
- Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, Union Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio
Dissertation Title: “The Call for Collaborative Care: Mind-Body/Behavioral Medicine Survey of Family Medicine Practice”. Acknowledged in Journal of the American Medical Association as member of nation wide research project with Dr. Spitzer, Columbia University to integrate mental health screening within medical settings. Awarded the Aaron Wallace Memorial Scholarship for exemplary holistic health research.
- M.A. Clinical Psychology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA
Thesis Title: Holistic Health Education Program. Awarded University grant to develop a skills based curriculum to teach holistic health practices regarding diet, relaxation, exercise and use of guided imagery.
- B.S. Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown, PA
Invited by the Student Counseling Department to develop and co-facilitate a student support group.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Licensed in the State of Pennsylvania to practice psychology, 1992
- National Board Certification in Clinical Hypnotherapy (clinical hypnosis training)
- Certified Stress Management Instructor: National Center for Health Promotion
- Certified Support Group Facilitator for the Dr. Dean Ornish’s Preventive Medicine Research Institute for Heart Disease and Prostate Cancer.
- Certified Red Cross Disaster Counselor
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- American Psychological Association: Health Psychology Division
- Pennsylvania Psychological Association
- Laurel Mountain Psychological Association: past president, past secretary/treasurer and publicity committee member
- American Cancer Society: past county board member; current support group facilitator
- Pain-Inc Foundation: past board member and support group facilitator
- International Coach Federation
- The Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC)
- Appointed past founding member of the Department of Homeland Security with selection to the FEMA DMORT Team (Disaster Mortuary Operations and Rescue Team)
- Past volunteer for the American Red Cross Disaster Team, serving with them during the 9/11 Disaster.
PUBLICATIONS AND RESEARCH
- Images and Reflections of Distress and Healing: United Airlines Flight 93 National Disaster Site, 2001, essay published in November 2001 APA Monitor and Johnstown Tribune Democrat
- Validation and Utility of a Self-report Version of PRIME-MD: The PHQ Primary Care Study (1999), JAMA /volume:282 (page: 1737),Robert L. Spitzer, MD; Kurt Kroenke, MD; Janet B. W. Williams, DSW; and the Patient Health Questionnaire Primary Care Study Group: Dr. Rys was a member of the researcher validation team and is acknowledged in the article.
- The Call for Collaborative Care: Mind-Body/Behavioral Medicine Survey of Family Medicine Practice (1999), Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation.
- Post‑Trauma Therapy Considerations Following a Prison Critical Incident, 1991, Appendix D, Maximum Security State Correctional Institute at Huntingdon, Emergency Staff Services Manual.
- Holistic Health Education Program (1985), Unpublished Master’s Thesis.
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