Joan Sheehan

I have known Josephine Jones both personally and professionally for over 20 years.  From 2001-2003 I consulted with Josephine on a collaboration to provide written assignments found in Sane in Pain for adults and their families in treatment at the federally-funded City of Boise Methamphetamine Clinic. The engagement in transformational writing of those receiving treatment and the staff providing treatment accessed issues that created an opportunity for deeper self-awareness and healing.

As part of the programming team for Idaho Conference on Alcohol and Drug Dependency, I then invited Josephine to present a writing workshop with 250 mental health practitioners.  All were deeply engaged and many expressed appreciation for the opportunity to work with her to learn how to prompt expressive writing for their own health, as well as that of their clients.

I have applied Sane in Pain’s Wholesome Moment and 21 Breaths personally and professionally to aid symptom management and recovery from PTSD and other mental health issues. I have found Sane in Pain to be an effective method of treating trauma in working with adults, families and children.

–Joan Sheehan, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and Certified Clinical Supervisor With expertise in community-based substance abuse and mental health treatment. Joan served as the Clinical Supervisor for Idaho Department of Corrections and for over ten years was a treatment provider for early onset, long term methamphetamine addiction. In this role, Joan has coordinated community wide events in support of National Recovery month for SAMHSA, and been recognized by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) for the management and services provided to the community by the City of Boise’s methamphetamine clinic (2001-2004).  Joan has served as planning committee member, and as the Chair for the annual Idaho Conference on Alcohol and Drug Dependency (ICADD).  In this capacity she assisted the committee in selecting nationally recognized speakers to present state of the art best practice or evidence-based workshops for behavioral healthcare providers.

In 1999 and 2001, Josephine Jones was selected to present at ICADD, providing a workshop for over 250 of the 600 participants.  Her evaluation results were excellent.  Josephine is one of those rare individuals who can meet people where they are, and with clarity and insight, teach them skills needed for re-viewing perceptions of significant life events.

I was also fortunate to participate in “The Heroine’s Journey,” a 12 session transformational workshop for women in transition with Josephine.  All of the women who participated in this workshop experienced a process of healing transformation that was of great benefit in their daily lives and relationships with others — and we published an anthology of our work!