NIKKI SHAW
Program Manager (Richmond)
Nikki Shaw serves as the Program Manager for the Hope Unity and Freedom Center located in Richmond, Virginia. She is responsible for managing all aspects of the HUF Center’s Psychosocial Day Support program for adults with chronic and severe mental health diagnosis and/or co-occurring disorder. She enjoys working with program participants providing support as they strive to achieve their goals, teaching/encouraging them to advocate for themselves and encouraging them to reach new levels of independence. She also leads an experienced, dedicated and creative team of Qualified Mental Health Professionals.
Nikki earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from Radford University. She received her Master’s of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling with Dual Specializations in Mental Health & Substance Abuse from Virginia Commonwealth University.
While in graduate school, she began working with adult offenders with substance abuse/dependence disorder and co-occurring disorders at the largest adult Probation & Parole District in Virginia. She held positions as a Probation & Parole Officer and was promoted to her appointment as the first Mental Health Specialist in the Central Virginia Region for the Department of Community Corrections. She was later promoted to the position of Substance Abuse Clinician where she served as the Lead Clinician on the NIDA grant funded Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Study entitled “Step’n Out”. She also facilitated groups that focused on early recovery, relapse prevention, intensive outpatient, women’s trauma and recovery, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and anger management. In 2007, she became a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC).
Nikki served as a Therapeutic Youth Day Treatment Clinician where she provided assessments, individual and group counseling sessions as well as crisis intervention to adolescents with mental health and behavioral issues in a school setting. As a Certified Pre-Screener, she conducted prescreening evaluations to determine if psychiatric hospitalization was necessary.
Nikki later returned to the field of Criminal Justice as a Lead Substance Abuse Clinician. She provided clinical supervision to substance abuse counselors and supervised the Women’s Intensive Treatment Unit. In 2011, she became a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Certified Co-Occurring Disorder Professional (CCDP).
Nikki demonstrates her dedication to the Hope Unity and Freedom Center through her encouragement and support of its members and staff. She advocates for our members, and is committed to assisting them in achieving their personal goals.