Meet the Faculty at The Advocacy Academy

Dr. Kate Watson, Dr.PH

President

Dr. Watson holds a Master of Education in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University, a Doctorate in Health Policy and Social Justice from Drexel University, and a Certificate of Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. She is the President and Founder of The Advocacy Academy, which is a consulting company focused on the development of skilled victim and family advocates to reduce violence around the world. Through her work with The Advocacy Academy, she has conducted educational workshops in 32 states, 8 countries, and across many fields: healthcare, education, social services, financial advising, victim advocacy, corrections, and leadership. On average, Dr. Watson speaks to 10,000 live audience members each year. She is an on-going consultant to the Department of Defense, the NFL, and to major television networks. In addition to her speaking and consulting work, Dr. Watson sits on the Board of Directors for The Lady Parts Collective, which is a Los Angeles-based theater company specializing in the development of work relevant to women in the United States. She is also a Director Emeritus for the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. Dr. Watson is the author of three books: (1) The Embodied Advocate, (2) Motivational Interviewing for Victim Advocates, and (3) Only Trying to Help, which is also the name of her podcast, available at www.OnlyTryingToHelp.com.

Melanie Gibbons, LPC

Instructor

Melanie has a Master’s degree and license in clinical counseling. She has over 10 years of experience in the counseling field. Melanie has individual and group clinical practice as well as experience in training and coaching. She specializes in organizational implementation of individual skill acquisition. Melanie developed, implemented, and facilitated a unique coaching system with a combination of 1:1 and group coaching sessions. Melanie is an expert in Motivational Interviewing and has been a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers since 2017. She has presented her coaching program at the MINT’s annual international forum and been asked to train small groups in varying levels of Motivational Interviewing. Melanie’s most recent work involves the development of a trauma informed online coaching program as an empowerment coach. She has had numerous speaking engagements on living a life of recovery through a 12 Step Program. Melanie has a particular focus on recovering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder abuse and addiction recovery.

Jeremy Indika

Instructor

Jeremy Indika is a former McLaren design engineer who left his career in 2018 to dedicate his life to preventing the sexual abuse of children and teenagers, both in person and online. After finding strength and clarity through sharing his own experiences, Jeremy went on to found Something to Say — a movement created to give others the opportunity to share their story if they wish to do so, and to help break the silence around a subject that is often difficult to speak about. Alongside this, Jeremy is a speaker and communicator who has spent nearly a decade developing ways of helping different audiences understand this subject clearly and appropriately. His work has been shaped through years of speaking in a wide range of settings, refining how messages are communicated so that they are engaging, considered, and suitable for everyone in the room.

Marie Burgess, LPC

Instructor

Marie is a board-certified therapist, certified nature informed therapist, and nationally recognized expert on grief.

T. Nicole Cirone

Instructor

T Nicole Cirone (she/her) is an educator with classroom experience in both secondary and higher education. Ms. Cirone holds a dual concentration MFA in Creative Writing with specializations in Poetry and Creative Non-Fiction; an MA in English Literature and Writing; a BA in Italian Studies; and a BA in Political Science/International Relations. She is currently a graduate student in the Human Sexuality Education program at Widener University, with a 2024 expected completion date for her Master of Education degree in Human Sexuality Education. Nicole is a published author of essays, poetry and a novel. She is also a certified yoga instructor (200-hour RYT). She believes in a holistic approach to education and wellness that can include writing and yoga as part of the learning process; and she offers culturally conscious, age-appropriate, trauma-informed theory and fact-based workshops and curricula to organizations seeking sexuality educators on the topics of the menopause, sexual wellness in adults mid-life and beyond, teen sexuality education and memorable messages.

Nick Zebrowski

Instructor

Nick is the Instructional Designer for The Advocacy Academy.

Elizabeth McElroy, LCSW

Instructor

Elizabeth McElroy is a clinical social worker in private practice. She earned her MSW from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. Before launching her private practice, her professional experiences included home hospice, nursing home care, medical case management, and behavioral health counseling. She also provides clinical supervision to social workers seeking to fulfill their licensure requirements or enhance their practice. She occasionally blogs about her experiences as a social worker at www.elizabeth-mcelroy.com.

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If online learning is not for you, we're happy to offer you a custom training at your organization. We've traveled the entire world to deliver trainings, so no distance is too far. Email [email protected] to inquire about a custom training.

  • BENEFIT OF CUSTOM TRAINING: Select a date and time that works best for your team (regardless of your time zone).

  • BENEFIT OF CUSTOM TRAINING: We can tailor the content to meet the unique needs of your group.

  • BENEFIT OF CUSTOM TRAINING: We can be creative with the delivery of the training (small group discussions, activities, taking breaks as needed).

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