Vanessa McNeill, MS Psychology
Vanessa is a Scientific Researcher, Suicide Prevention Specialist, and owner of Pacific Northwest Social Scientists, LLC (dba/Montana Social Scientists). McNeill spent the first 15 years of her career as a Technical Writer. In her 40’s she re-entered Academia receiving two degrees in Psychology Research: Bachelor’s and Master’s.
Upon graduating, McNeill spent five years as a Psychology Instructor at Montana State University Billings, along with collaborations with Communications and Sociology professors’ research projects. McNeill’s professional publications include:
Sex moderated and RSA mediated effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on behavior problems at age 7 (Master’s Thesis)
The Perceived Stigma Reduction Expressed by Young Adults in Response to Suicide Prevention Videos
A Look at Culture and Stigma of Suicide: Textual Analysis of Community Theatre Performances
A Theater Intervention to Promote Communication and Disclosure of Suicidal Ideation
Preventing Suicide in Montana: A Community-Based Theatre Intervention.
For more information on McNeill’s experience and the company, please visit the About section on our website.
Vanessa is an avid whale watcher. Her hobbies include growing plants. She loves getting out in nature, paddle-boarding, reading, meditating, biking, hiking, walking, yoga, and above all, supporting her greatest passion in life… her family.
Kathleen Little Leaf, MSW, LAC, SWLC
Kathleen is an enrolled tribal member from the Blackfoot/Blackfeet tribes, living in Cut Bank, Montana. She has worked within the health field and in Indian Health Services for over two decade and specializes in Mental Health and the facilitation of Addiction Prevention, Addiction Education and Addiction Recovery, Group facilitation, Individual Therapy, Native American Intergenerational Trauma Grief Recovery Groups, Native American 12 Step Groups, Corporate Cultural Awareness Trainings, Implementing Culturally Based Addiction/Mental Health Recovery Programming, Jail Diversion Cultural Programming, Addiction programming, Experience in Native American Jail Recidivism Research & Data Collection.
Kathleen has also provided support and testimony to groups and panels to the issues of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and men speaking on panels and providing awareness to the issues which has been plaguing Indian country for decades.
Brent Finger, PhD Psychology
Brent Finger received his doctorate from the University of Chicago Committee on Human Development and completed an NIAAA funded post-doctorate at the Research Institute on Addictions at SUNY Buffalo. His research activities focus on parent-child attachment, Developmental Psychopathology, substance abuse, and representations of interpersonal relationships in high-risk samples.
Brent’s work has been published nationally and internationally. His research adds to a body of literature, extending John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth’s seminal work in Attachment Theory. His workshop is a compilation of Attachment Theory history (Secure, Avoidant, and Anxious), leading up to current clinical practice. Dr. Finger’s work regarding the fourth attachment style, Disorganized Attachment will be integrated throughout the presentation. A partial list of Dr. Finger’s publications and research presentations is listed below:
Melnick, S. M., Finger, B., & Lyons-Ruth, K. (2008).The Pervasively Unintegrated / Hostile-Helpless Coding System for the Adult Attachment Interview: Implications for the Intergenerational Transmission of Disorganized Attachment. In H. Steele & M. Steele (Eds.) The adult attachment interview in clinical context. (pp. 399-423). New York: Guilford Press.
Finger, B., Kachadourian L. K., Molnar D. S., Eiden R. D., Edwards E. P., & Leonard, K. E. (2010). Alcoholism, Associated Risk Factors, and Harsh Parenting among Fathers: Examining the Role of Marital Aggression. Addictive Behaviors, 35, 541-548.
Finger, B., Cunningham, A. B., Bernstein, V. J., & Hans, S. L. (2018). Familial environmental contributors to early emerging behavior problems in children of addicted mothers. Infant and Child Development, 27(1).
Isosävi, Sanna, Wahlström, Jarl; Flykt, Marjo; Heiskanen, Lotta Finger, Brent; et al. (2019). Dysregulated motherhood: Exploring the risk features in a mother’s caregiving representations. Journal of Infant, Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy, 18, 29-57.
Terry, M., Finger, B,, Lyons-Ruth, K., Sadler, S. L., & Slade, A. (2020). Hostile/helpless maternal representations in pregnancy and later child removal: A pilot study. Infant Mental Health Journal, August 20.
Cunningham, A. B., & Finger, B. (2004, October). Behavior Problems in Young Children with Substance Abusing Mothers. Poster presented at the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Washington, DC.
Finger, B. (2005, September). The Effects of Violence on Mother-Child Attachment. Breakout session presented at the South Suburban Family Shelter conference on “Early Identification and Screening of Young Children Exposed to Violence”. Alsip, IL.
Finger, B., & Hans, S. L. (2006, March). Exploring the Intergenerational Transmission of Attachment Disorganization. Poster presented at the 15th biennial Conference of the Society for Research in Human Development, Fort Worth, TX.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~