ACT Program
2022-2023 Cohort

Catalina Angel, MSW

Catalina Angel is a child and family counselor at ChildStrive Community Services in Everett, WA. She received her MSW from the University of Washington School of Social Work in 2017 with a concentration in practice with children, youth, and families. In 2014, Catalina was a Leadership of Education in Neurodevelopmental and Disabilities (LEND) fellow at the University of Washington. While completing her MSW, Catalina was chosen and participated in the Northwest Leaders in Behavioral Health Program (NLBHP). Catalina has familial and cultural connections in Colombia and utilizes her lived experiences for most of her career as a social worker and helping professional to support individuals with and families caring for individuals with disabilities in WA who have and continues to experience the detrimental sociopolitical impacts of being immigrants from Central and South America.   

Cecilia Arnoux, MSW

Cecilia Arnoux is a mental health specialist and field instructor at the Seattle Indian Health Board in Seattle, WA. She received her MSW from Walla Walla University in 2018. Cecilia has Native cultural connections and utilizes her lived experiences as an indigenous methodology researcher, indigenous clinician, and advocate.   

Clemintene Benjamin, MSW, LICSW

I am a LICSW with the VA Medical Center in Eastern Washington.  I managed the Homeless Veterans Program where I serve homeless Veterans and their families.  Many of these families are living in shelters and sadly some in their cars.  I have been a social worker for 20 + years.  I am a mother of 7 and grandmother of 12. I am a Veteran of the United States Army.   My passion is serving families and  walking along side them as they rebuild their lives.   As someone that has been homeless while raising 7 children , I understand how daunting life can be without support.   It’s easy to lose hope and become depressed  when systems fail and it seems no one genuinely cares about your situation. For these reasons I strive to meet the needs of every client I have the privilege to serve. There have been times when all the client needed was someone to listen.    I believe my greatest strengths are proving respectful, compassionate and insightful care.  I deeply appreciate the awesome opportunity to participate in this training and certification.

Andrea Brudvig, M.A.

Andrea is a Research Coordinator at the Barnard Center for Infant Mental Health and Development. Her research interests include promoting early relational health and young children’s social-emotional development through evidence-based programs and interventions. She is also interested in mindfulness, contemplative education, and the relationship between reflective capacity building and social change. Andrea coordinates a longitudinal study at Seattle Educare, a high-quality early learning program, supporting data utilization to eliminate the opportunity gap for underserved children and families. She also coordinates an innovation grant implementing mindfulness practices for children, caregivers, and program staff to improve self-regulation, reduce stress, and support overall well-being. Andrea has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Social Work and a Master’s of Arts in Consciousness Studies.

Melinda Contraro, MSW

Grew up on the Tulalip reservation, to a single mom. I was raised living with my grandparents. Received BA in Child, Consumer and Family Studies with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from Washington State University. Received MAT in Early Childhood Education from Webster University. I have worked in the early learning field for over 20 years, including working with Tulalip Tribes for 12 years in many of their early learning programs serving families up to age 5. While attending school, and during my time at Tulalip I had 6 kids. Currently, my children are 15, 16, 22, 24, 26 and 30. I also have 5 grandkids. I hope to continue in early learning until I retire and even then, I want to be around babies! 

Dawn Hylton, BSN, LSWAIC-IECMH

After working years in Nursing, I realized that I had another calling, and that was to become a social worker. I pursued my master’s in social work through Walden University and graduated in August of 2019. During part of my educational journey and experience to becoming a social worker I also worked for Department of Defense in South Korea as a social worker under supervision with the Army Drug and Alcohol program. I returned to the US in 2018 to finish my clinicals at the Army hospital on Joint Base Lewis McChord. I applied for a job with Hopesparks with the idea that this would be temporary and for the summer. I soon came to realize that I love being a therapist and even more being an Infant and Child Mental Health Therapist. The qualities and characteristics and life experiences I bring that align with the goals of ACT and the Barnard center commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion statement include my leadership in the DEI collaborative at Hopesparks, facilitating the BIPOC caucus group at Hopesparks, my experiences as a black woman and as a black therapist, my experience as a Nurse and now as a therapist as well as my travels around the world and experiences by way of my military experience. This wide array of experience allows me to bring new and fresh perspectives and insight to the field of Infant and Child Mental health combined with a healthy appetite and openness to learning. 

Marie Sohl, MS, LMHC

Marie is a Licensed Mental Health therapist specializing in providing direct service and support to families and professionals providing therapeutic services to infants, toddlers, and young children for the last 20 years. She has been particularly interested in working within non-profit agencies serving Medicaid eligible children and families impacted by chronic stress and trauma. Being committed to life-long learning and development she strives to advocate with others across the state of Washington to promote relationship-based healing in families and their communities. Marie is invested in increasing her capacity to join with others in dismantling the racist and oppressive societal structures that impact all families. Marie’s practices continue to evolve seen through her lens of late career bi-racial identified practitioner committed to embedding diversity and equity principles in daily life. And is working on establishing a private practice in her community where early childhood mental health services are scarce. 

Sanya Unis, MSW, LMSW

Sanya Unis is a Social Work practitioner for more than 10 years.  Her areas of experience encompass Residential and Outpatient Therapy, Community Based assessment and monitoring, Hospice and Dialysis Social Work management, as well as Quality Assurance Management.  She received her master’s degree from Smith College in 2008.  Since then, she has devoted her time working with children zero to three, providing community engagement for nursing home qualified clients and quality assurance monitoring, assessment and reporting.  Currently, she is working with the Veteran population to identify and access stable and affordable housing.