Vali Hawkins Mitchell

I’m not sure how many people can say they made a career choice at birth! But since I was born during a magnitude 7.1 earthquake, much of my professional work and writing has centered on managing crisis and disaster.

I am an award-winning artist and write from my office near the Honolulu Zoo. A disaster responder and trauma expert, I hold master’s degrees in both Applied Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy, and a doctorate in Health Education. I am widely published in trade, professional, and literary journals, and am co-owner of the largest employee assistance program in Hawaii, Employee Assistance of the Pacific.

I’ve had adventures and now write stories about some of them: my years in Taiwan, consulting on a film made in Hawaii, raising two kids with chronic illness, living through the Mt. St. Helens eruption, serving as a trauma counselor in New York after the World Trade Center catastrophe, speaking engagements inside the Hanford nuclear facilities, and being part of a military surge debriefing over 5,000 soldiers just back from active duty in the Middle East.

My work has included decades in private practice as a licensed therapist, a Military Family Life Consultant for the Department of Defense, a professor at Washington State University, a disaster responder for the American Red Cross, and a special needs coordinator for Head Start. And there were other jobs along the way: sweeping floors, EKG tech, retail, child care. I actually started my service career as a Certified Nursing Assistant at age 16 in Olympia, Washington.

Oh… I have plenty of stories!

My favorite times these days are picking up beach glass with my hubby, Dave, catching a movie, or watching Doctor Who reruns.