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Sandy Kleven, LCSW I've been working with families
for about 20 years. I am a licensed clinical social worker working most
recently in mental health and most currently combining private practice
as a therapist with work in early childhood intervention.
This latter relates to screening
for developmental delays and providing teaching assistance to families
identified as eligible for services.
I have four sons, three of
whom are adults and one who is 14. For the most part, we raised our boys
in Bellingham, Washington. It was there that I finished a BA degree in
Human Services and first began to work in the area of sexual abuse prevention.
A group out of Minneapolis, Minnesota was using "theatre" to teach personal
safety skills. I saw them perform in Everett, Washington and was mightily
impressed. In short order, I told my boss what I'd seen. I said "We can
do the same thing in Bellingham." She gave me the go ahead and the SOAPBox
Players were formed.
I wrote all the performance
material. THE RIGHT TOUCH, our new book, is derived from "Jimmy's Bedtime
Story," a script that we performed for many years. Our performing group
caught on quickly. We presented to parent groups and groups of teachers.
We were invited to present at conferences throughout the Pacific Northwest
and eventually made in to three states and Canada presenting to both adults
and children. Our focus was teaching parents how to talk to their children
but, after a year or so, we were urged to present our material directly
to children. The urging came from parents, teachers and school principals.
They were even willing to pay expenses and an honorarium to bring us to
their schools. We thought this was wonderful. When we started the group
we did not know if our program would be welcome in the schools --- so it
was great to be recruited the way we were
We also talked the local
TV station into doing a docudrama using our material and were stunned to
win an area EMMY.
I left the SOAPBox Players
in 1984, heading to Alaska. The group is still performing in Bellingham
though their focus has shifted to parenting issues. Part of the royalty
I will receive from THE RIGHT TOUCH will
go to support their work.
I've been living and working
in Valdez, Alaska for more than six years. This is a small town with a
population of about 4,000. We are 350 miles away from any center of population.
You might say we are remote. The arrival of the Internet has cut down on
my sense of isolation as I am in frequent contact with family and friends
around the globe.
Thanks again for your support.
With kind regards,
Sandy
Sandy Kleven may be reached
with comments or interview requests at
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