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Nicholas Rutledge
Member-at-large, Staff
Biloxi, MS
Nick is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Board Approved Clinical Supervisor who joined the VA in March 2023 as a Supervisory Social Worker for the Emergency Department. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from The University of Southern Mississippi and a Master of Social Work from The University of Alabama.
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Nick began his career in Washington, DC with the DC Department of Mental Health, developing a mobile crisis outreach and street therapy program for homeless children and families. He then worked as a clinical trainer for the Child Welfare Training Academy at the District of Columbia Child & Family Services Agency. While at CFSA, he and his colleagues received a grant from the Freddie Mac Foundation to develop and implement an LGBTQ Coaching and Mentoring program for child welfare workers to foster cultural sensitivity in work with sexual minority youth in foster care. This model was adopted by the Human Rights Campaign and is still used by child welfare organizations around the country.
He spent several years as a college professor at The University of Southern Mississippi and The University of Mississippi Medical Center. For five years, Nick served as Director of Integrated Behavioral Health Services for Coastal Family Health Center where he oversaw all primary care mental health integration programs for the organization.
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Nick enjoys spending time with his three rambunctious nephews, ages 9, 13, and 17 going on 30, who think they are on his payroll and probably should be on his tax returns. He is currently working on a book about trauma treatment and plans to return to graduate school to pursue his Doctor of Social Work degree.