© 2011-2013 Leavey Consulting, Inc. 

Biography - Dr. JoAnn Elizabeth Leavey   Top Organizational Qualities Organizational Development and Change Management: JoAnn possesses an ability to develop operational plans and financial budgeting processes that are implementable by the client . She analyzes organizational behaviours and creates strategic plans that help enable organizations to better manage day to day operations, prioritize, collaborate, assess risk, consensus build, facilitate, and network while focusing on their strategic goals and directions.  Leadership: JoAnn has a history of liaising and building outreach programs and partnerships within the community, with clients, hospitals, regional health authorities and provincial ministry groups. She has developed skills in public relations, public speaking, and networking. Her background has included restructuring hospital and community programs and services to eliminate duplication with the goal of better utilizing scarce fiscal resources to ensure effective and appropriate treatment is available. She has much experience at influencing teams and stakeholders, while being client-centred, to plan and implement change under time constraints in environments with competing interests when considering the delivery of healthcare within a framework of limited fiscal resources. Clinical Program and Research Development: During her senior clinical management tenure, she has designed delivered and led several types of innovative programs ranging from in- patient care to integrated community programs, e.g., mobile crisis teams, day treatment and psychosocial therapies for the seriously mentally ill, consulted on vulnerable seniors with mental health and addictions problems through appropriate business development and program planning, and delivered clinical and research programs in children's and women's healthcare.  Clinically, JoAnn's career has included working in the following areas: General Adult Psychiatry, Women & Psychiatry, Trauma, Child & Adolescent, Youth with First Episode & Emerging Mental Health Problems, Gender-Based and Cultural Analysis of Mental Health Issues, Emergency First Response, and Recovery. She has maintained a person-centred focus that includes helping persons with mental health and disabilities re-enter society as part of a recovery process. Her published recovery model ELAR, Emergence, Loss, Adaptation and Recovery is a guide through which a person can move through a process of healing. This consists of assisting clients re- establish their sense of self-identity through adaptation and rediscovery of self-esteem and skills. This approach includes incorporating all aspects of a person's life; in particular, self-image, family, education and work. These dimensions are important to all persons with or without mental health or disability problems and are required in order for individuals to live healthy and socially integrated lives. Public Speaking: Dr. Leavey has spoken locally, nationally and internationally in over 11 countries relaying her research and clinical work on best practices for clients experiencing mental problems. Through her public motivational speaking engagements, one of JoAnn's goals is to inspire and motivate the community, clients, family members, clinicians, researchers, policy-makers and funders to focus their collective attention on understanding that given the right opportunity, persons with mental health problems, disabilities, and vulnerabilities can be a great asset to society. This can be accomplished through positive work environments, and appropriate volunteering and educational opportunities. These psychosocial opportunities are ways in which communities can promote relapse prevention and avoidance of problems in living. Volunteer and Personal Time: In her personal time, JoAnn volunteers as a first responder as part of the British Columbia Psychological Association's disaster network, e.g., was a volunteer who led a medical mobile unit in the American Red Cross in the hurricane Katrina relief effort for 3 weeks, is a pilot, adventurer, musician, photographer, writer and public speaker.