About Mary Achilles,
National Certified Counselor

 

Professional Summary

• 25 plus years working with victims of crime and trauma.

• 20 plus years’ experience as an Independent Consultant, Advisor, Victim Advocate and Director of Victim Services working for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Office of the Victim Advocate, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.

• Experienced change agent servicing the criminal justice, government, religious and non-profit sectors with an emphasis on policy and procedure development.

• Adept at developing and implementing strategic training programs in addition to serving as an expert contributor on statewide and national information tracking and notifications programs.

• Possess significant communication and media relation experience focusing on media interviews, press release development, website content, publication development and radio/TV presentations.

• Featured spokesperson at local, state and national forums.

 

Achievements

• Consulted the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on crisis management, policy/program evaluation and support and assistance issues relative to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office 2011 Investigative Grand Jury Report on Sexual Misconduct.

• Developed a Mental Health Services Guideline that simplified counseling and in-patient payment procedures while reducing barriers to service and improving confidentiality.

• Created multiple presentations and prevention programs including the Gift of Innocence a sexual violence prevention education program and the Witness to Sorrow victims’ impact round-table.

• Nominated by Governor Tom Ridge and unanimously confirmed by the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to serve as the first Victim Advocate.

• Represented the rights/interests of crime victims before the Department of Corrections and the Board of Probation and Parole with a focus on a victims request for parole denial or parole condition establishment.

• Led a critical incident response policy and training video development effort within the Board of Probation and Parole.

• Chaired the Justice Committee on the Family Violence Task Force and served on multiple boards and committees including the Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

• Designed, implemented and managed the Mediation Program for Victims of Violent Crime which became the subject of a documentary that aired on MSNBC with portions shown on Oprah.

• Developed, implemented and managed various victim service programs and authored policy on the proper handling of victims’ threat, intimidation and harassment claims.

• Designed, developed and implemented a Witness Security Program that coordinated Commonwealth witness relocation efforts with law enforcement, housing and social service agencies.

 

Education

• Master of Arts in Counseling, Messiah College, Grantham, PA

• Master of Public Administration, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

• Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA

 

Certifications

• Certified Counselor, National Board For Certified Counselors

• Certified Trainer/Responder for Community Crisis Intervention, National Organization for Victim Assistance