Our New Director of Education and Training: Reena Patel

The Trauma Resouce Institute welcomes our newest employee, Reena Patel, Director of Education and Training!

Ms. Patel is joining as a member of TRI’s Executive Team. Her responsibilities include overseeing training administration, certification, curriculum development, and community building and education. Ms. Patel will implement effective training programs and will participate as a part of training teams. She will be working remotely from Arizona and can be reached via email at rpatel@communitytri.com or by phone at 909-493-9056.

Ms. Patel earned her Masters in Social Work in 2009 from Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, India as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar from the USA to India. Her MA research, Children No More: Exploring Healing Processes of Youth Survivors of Gujarat 2002 Violence focuses on Muslim youth affected by the 2002 pogrom in Gujarat, India. After earning her MSW, Ms. Patel worked in a large variety of community mental health settings including both the San Carlos Apache and Pascua Yaqui tribal nations, the United States Navy in Naples, Italy, and with organizations in San Diego, CA and Tucson, AZ focusing on homelessness and substance use utilizing a harm reduction and trauma-informed lens. Practicing social work in these diverse settings led Ms. Patel to deepen her interest in multigenerational impacts of both trauma and resilience as well as finding ways to support accessibility to mental health as a human right.

In addition to her clinical work, Ms. Patel taught as a Faculty Associate for Arizona State University School of Social Work and most recently has taught courses in Diversity and Oppression in the Social Work Context. Ms. Patel identifies as a first-generation South Asian-American woman with roots in Gujarat, India.

Ms. Patel has worked as an independent contractor with the Trauma Resource Institute since 2016, and has traveled domestically and internationally as a trainer. Most recently, Ms. Patel traveled to India with TRI as part of the SEE Learning Program launch, and helped to translate media materials into Hindi. Ms. Patel is also a founding member and active participant in TRI's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee efforts since 2018. Ms. Patel's beliefs regarding social work are summarized by Aboriginal activist Lilla Watson's words: "If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."

Ms. Patel currently resides in Tucson, Arizona with her spouse Adam, and child, Diego.

We are excited to see Ms. Patel apply her passion, skills, and experience to help strengthen TRI and our wider community!

*Please continue to send inquiries about certification to TRI’s Education and Training Manager, Alena Cansler.

*Any inquiries about trainings can continue to be directed to hello@communitytri.com.