Michele Saunders , LCSW

Michele Saunders LCSW


Position: Expert Facilitator
Mappings of Focus:Sequential Intercept Model Mapping Workshops
Sequential Intercept Model Mapping Workshops

Michele Saunders is a licensed clinical social worker with over 30 years of community mental health service. Ms. Saunders is currently a clinician with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration in Orlando, Florida. Prior to this, other positions she has held include the Director of Community Services for Seminole County, which oversees several social service-related programs; the Executive Director of Florida Partners in Crisis, which is a statewide non-profit advocacy organization, composed of criminal justice, behavioral health care and consumer advocate leaders advocating to increase funding for the community mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment systems; and the Executive Vice President of Lakeside Behavioral Healthcare, a community mental health organization. Ms. Saunders currently coordinates and chairs the statewide Florida Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Coalition and provides technical assistance for CIT development for law enforcement and for corrections. Additionally, she assists with and promotes cross-system learning and collaboration around criminal justice, mental health and substance abuse providers to bring about system changes that emphasize jail diversion and improves services for people with serious mental illnesses. Ms. Saunders is one of the founding members of CIT International, Inc., and is the 1st Vice President for CIT International, Inc. Ms. Saunders earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree at James Madison University in Virginia and her Master of Social Work degree from Florida State University.