“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
~ Anne Lamott
Mickie began her career at Mount Sinai in 2001 where she has continued to grow and evolve through her commitment to dedicated patient care at the WTCHP. Mickie and her husband were living in NYC when 9/11 occurred and experienced the distress of the citizens of New York during that unprecedented time. Serendipity brought her to the World Trade Center Health Program where as a nurse recording the health history of the responders, she felt the stress of unknown health consequences in her patients - the WTC responders. Her belief in the inter-relatedness of the mind and body informed her teaching of her patients. To enhance her knowledge, Mickie began formal training in Mind-Body Medicine at the Center for Mind Body Medicine (https://cmbm.org/) with James Gordon, MD where in 2011, she received her certification in Mind Body Medicine. Mickie taught this protocol to the WTC responders and was Principal Investigator of a research study to determine whether the practice of Mind Body skills created a shift in the asthma symptom profile of WTC responders.
In 2012 she began training in Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness (CFM). Today Mickie is a qualified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teacher having completed extensive training from CFM as well as the Mindfulness Center at Brown University. Currently Mickie is teaching MBSR for employees and faculty of the Mount Sinai Health System as well as cohorts outside the health system. Mickie has been involved in creating Mindfulness curriculums for Mount Sinai CALM as well as collaborating to create the Mindfulness curriculum currently being taught for Graduate Medical Education at Mount Sinai.
Providence again intervened in 2020 during the pandemic when Mickie and her husband returned to Stamford, CT to be closer to children and grandchildren. As is often the case in the time of transition, there is a contradiction of needs. While the serenity and beauty of nature is so nourishing, - there will always be the wistful longing for the energy and vitality of NY city - just 50 minutes away.
During her career at The World Trade Center Health Program, Mickie transitioned from Clinical Coordinator to Deputy Nurse Manager. Leadership provided her with awareness of the stress of leadership as well as the stressors encountered by employees. This insight has provided her with the ability to deeply understand the resources leaders and employees can implement at many levels and the capacity to bring this into her teaching. This is reflected in the presentations Mickie has provided for corporations where she speaks about stress in highly stimulating and demanding environments and how to “not just survive - but thrive”.
Having experienced the power of mindfulness in her own life, Mickie is passionate about sharing it with others whether in individual or group settings.
Mickie is a graduate of the Edmonton General Hospital School of Nursing in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, a Registered Nurse in NY state and a Board Certified Holistic Nurse by the American Holistic Nurse Association.
Additional certifications, qualifications and coursework completed include:
2024: Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy - Brown University
2023: Finding Peace in a Frantic World – Brown University
2016: Qualified MBSR Teacher Center for Mindfulness (University of Massachusetts)
2012: Professional Education program in Clinical Biofeedback – Health Training Seminars, a division of Biofeedback Resources International Corporation
2011: Certification in Mind - Body Medicine Skills – www.cmbm.org
2001: Certified hypnotherapist - International Network for Alternative & Intuitive Therapies, Inc. New York, NY
1998: First degree course in Usui System of Reiki Healing