Meet the Team
The work of the Middelton-Moz Institute would not be possible without the skill, dedication and commitment of our accomplished team members.
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Phil Wells
Phil has a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and has worked at Washington County Mental Health Services (WCMHS) in central Vermont for 31 years. Phil has extensive experience working with children and families and psychological emergency management. He has been instrumental in the creation and development of numerous model programs of which some have been replicated state-wide in Vermont. Phil has provided numerous trainings in the U.S. and abroad in wrap-around service delivery and crisis management and as a youth team leader in healing workshops directed by Jane Middelton-Moz. Phil is currently the Director of Individualized Services for WCMHS children’s program and provides consultation services to other child serving agencies throughout the country. In addition, Phil is an adjunct faculty in the graduate program in Community Mental Health at Southern New Hampshire University and the Applied Behavioral Analysis program at Johnson State College.
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Melissa Giuttari
Melissa is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and expressive art therapist currently practicing in the central Vermont area. Melissa attended undergraduate school at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont and received her master’s degree from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Melissa has over ten years experience working in community-based programs, as well as residential, in-patient and out-patient settings. Her training and practice includes an emphasis on early childhood development and mental health. In addition to her private practice, Melissa currently is the Mental Health Consultant for the Head Start programs in Washington County, Vermont. Melissa recently became a youth facilitator for healing workshops led by Jane Middelton-Moz in the U.S. and Canada.
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Tiffiny Hubbard
Tiffiny has a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and has worked at Washington County Mental Health Services in central Vermont for 14 years. Tiffiny is currently the director of the Tapas program, which serves youth with severe emotional disabilities. Tiffiny provides consultation to other mental health agencies serving children and youth with severe emotional disturbances and their families. She has also co-facilitated trainings with mental health and social service agencies on collaboration, teamwork and group process. Tiffiny is an adjunct faculty member of the University of Vermont providing clinical supervision to student interns in the social work field. Tiffiny has recently been a youth leader in the healing workshops directed by Jane Middelton-Moz.
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Jimmy Nicholas
Jimmy is a Mohawk from Kanesatake, Quebec. He has been a community worker for approximately 12 years. He has worked in the healing program "Breaking All Barriers" as a community worker and helped to bring key people together to establish the Kanestake youth center in 2000. Presently he is working on a contractual basis in the northern communities of Nunavik in the areas of trauma, suicide prevention and community de-briefing. He co-facilitates workshops with community elders and provides education and awareness in teamwork setting. Jimmy has a certificates in Counseling for Addictions from the NECHI Institute, and has pursued a certificate in Community Development with the University of Concordia. On-going professional development is a priority for Jimmy as he confronts the daily challenges of running a home-based catering business and raising 5 children and foster children with his wife, Robin Sky.
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Robin Sky
Robin is a Mohawk from Kahnawake, Quebec who has worked in the Social, Health, Education and Justice fields since 1981. A lifetime of community service work began for Robin when she was able to use previous art training at the Montreal Native Friendship Center and the Native Parajudicial Services of Quebec to help the native and Inuit population who were facing difficulties when involved with the Canadian judicial system. Five years of social work and court experience gave Robin focus to work with youth and families living with AIDS, mental illness, addictions and abuses. Robin's professional development continued when she joined the Kanesatake Health Center in 1993. Working in the family violence program allowed Robin to network with community nurses, CHRs (Community Health Representatives), and traditional people to develop programs that reach high risk populations. Robin also worked with infants, children and teens as youth protection worker for the Kahnawake Shakotiatahkehnhas community services for 5 years. Presently, Robin works with her husband Jimmy Nicholas, doing volunteer work at the Step by Step child and family center which offers an inclusive and safe environment for creating advocacy for children and families.
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Gail Lyons
Gail (Ganessawahads) is an Onondaga of the Eel Clan. She is the Co-Founder of Ganigonhi:yoh, the Onondaga Nation Family Healing Center and currently serves as the Substance Abuse Prevention Education Director. Gail is a member of the Multi-cultural Advisory Commission of Mental Health of New York State and her expertise ranges from community change to co-dependency/support to language and culture.
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King Lyons
King (Gaenhigewen) is an Onondaga of the Wolf Clan and Chief of the Turtle Clan. King is the Executive Director/Co-Founder of Ganigonhi:yoh, the Onondaga Nation Family Healing Center and an internationally certified alcohol and drug counselor (CADC). Additional credentials include Medicine Wheel training, and certification as a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor in New York State (NYS-CASAC) and Gambling Treatment Counselor.