MENTAL HEALTH TRAINERS
Since its inception in September 2006, WAA has had the honor of working with Psychologist Luis Pedro Monge Arenas. Mr. Arenas is a resident trainer from Cusco and is also a licensed teacher and theologian. He works for the Corporation for Catholic Bible Studies (CODEB) which in collaboration with the Organization for Cultural Development in Peru (ORDECUPE) offers non-denominational talks at municipal and private institutions working in the areas of health, education and law enforcement. He specializes in family psychology and domestic violence and has worked extensively throughout Peru as an “Escuela de Padres” instructor.
In 2008, Psychologist Esther Caballo Oliver worked for over two months with WAA offering workshops to grammar and high school students and faculty in the areas of values, self-esteem, personal growth, sexuality and inter-gender communications. She also worked in orphanages and other special institutes. Her expertise and passion is working with youth at risk yet she brought to Peru extensive knowledge and experience in all areas of mental health. Miss Oliver is from the Canary Islands, Spain.
Linda Nordquist is a long-standing resident of Urubamba originally from the United States and an expert in Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR). For 20 years she worked as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) specializing in the treatment of psychological trauma. In her private practice, Ms. Nordquist worked with children, adolescents, and adults who had experienced both short-term trauma (e.g., automobile accidents, earthquakes) and long-term trauma (e.g., sexual, physical and emotional abuse, and wartime experiences). She also served as a clinical consultant to the Domestic Violence Center in Goldsboro, North Carolina and to the Family Violence Center in New Bern, North Carolina. She has intensive training in Dissociative Disorders from the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) and received her EMDR certification from the EMDR International Association. Before her retirement in 2005, Linda was also an active member of the following organizations: the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Prevent Child Abuse of North Carolina, the National Association of Social Workers, and the North Carolina Society for Clinical Social Workers.
In 2008, Linda offered some preliminary EMDR training and education to several local psychologists.