About us
We’ve always done things a little differently
Lee Copenhagen, MSW, LCSW, is a nationally certified restorative justice trainer and practitioner who has conducted trainings in victim offender dialog, circle keeping, mediation, delinquency prevention, and restorative justice. Lee has been working on high school campuses for over thirty years in many different roles including juvenile investigator, youth probation officer, social worker, youth gang researcher, professor, counselor, family therapist, and grandparent.
- Lee C. Copenhagen, MSW, LCSW, PPSC
- P. O. Box 255 Silverton, CO 81433
- Education and Certifications
- BA, Administration of Justice, University of Wyoming
- Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy
- MSW, San José State University
- School Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, California, Montana, and Colorado
- Experience San Juan Unified School District, Silverton, CO 9/2023-current • Credentialed Social Worker at Silverton K-1 providing wellness support and restorative discipline
- Private Psychotherapy Practice, Bozeman, MT 9/2017-current
- • Child, adolescent, and familytherapy working primarilywith client referrals from 18th Judicial District Youth Probation Office, DPHHS Child and Family Services, and Bozeman and Belgrade School Districts.
- • Mental health counseling and diagnosis for military veterans through the Veteran’s Administration Community Care Network and Military OneSource.
- • Addiction counselor for Community Medical Services Medically Assisted Treatment Clinic (MAT) in Belgrade from April – November 2018.
- • Familymediations, Court testimony, family plan revisions and coordinated- education-plans for children with special needs (Autism Spectrum Disorder).
- Adjunct Faculty, CSU East Bay, Hayward, CA 9/2013-2023
- • Teach Introduction to Criminal Justice, Intimate Partner Violence, Police Community Relations, and Introduction to Restorative Justice, online classes of 40 students, and hybrid classes of 45 to 60 students each semester.
- • Organized 1st annual Restorative Justice Conference at CUSEB in collaboration with Departments of Criminal Justice, Social Work, and Educational Counseling.
- • Presented clinical training to social workers in Restorative Justice and Family Group Decision Making at the 2013 NSAW California Annual Conference in Oakland, CA.
- MSW Field Supervisor, Hayward, Santa Cruz, CA and Bozeman, MT. 9/2012-6/2019
- • Supervised therapeutic interventions by school psychologists, school counselors and school social worker graduate students. Met weekly with graduate students to review diagnosis and case treatment plan progress for over 60 at-risk students annually.
- Integrated Behavioral Health Specialist II, Santa Cruz, CA 6/2015-9/2017
- • Provided culturallycompetent assessment and psychotherapyto patients within an integrated care team model at East Cliff Family Health Center.
- • Provided crisis intervention, brief therapy, case management and referrals to other communityresources to insure access to comprehensive, patient-centered, quality health care.
- • Completed certification as parent educator for Triple Pparenting program and then
- helped to develop positive parenting skills with families at the clinic.
- Child and Family Therapist, Portland, OR 9/2009-8/2010
- • Worked on 24/7 Intensive Crisis Treatment Services Team for children as a means to avoid or reduce treatment in a residential facility or psychiatric hospital. Worked closely with youth who face dailyconflicts at home, at school, and in the community.
- • Provided advice and therapeutic treatment planning expertise to State and County familycare coordinators to insure continuum of care for at-risk youth and families.
- School Social Worker & School Counselor, Hayward, CA 10/2003-6/2015
- • Credentialed Counselor at Mt. Eden High providing, strength-based therapeutic, individual, and group counseling to re-engage truant and gang-involved students.
- • Credentialed School Social Worker assigned to three elementaryschools to provide learning support through counseling, play therapy, and positive behavior interventions to help children overcome emotional barriers impacting their ability to learn and thrive.
- • Both counselor and school social worker at Tennyson High School providing academic, social, and emotional support to students. Introduced restorative discipline to the school.
- National Trainer & Consultant, Bozeman, MT 7/2000-9/2003
- • Offered nation-wide training to communities to develop and evaluate comprehensive plans to prevent juvenile crime and delinquency through Title V Community Prevention Grants under contract with Development Services Group and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
- .
- Program Director, Bozeman, MT 12/2000-6/2001
- • Founded the Gallatin Community Youth Justice Center. Developed budget, wrote grant and obtained funding from Montana Board of Crime Control for intervention and treatment programs for at risk-youth. Completed all grant-required reporting.
- • Began two best practice programs at the Center, Functional Family Therapyand
- Strengthening Family Programs
- • Presented training on Restorative Justice and Victim Offender Mediation Dialogue for youth, community leaders, probation officers, clergy, law enforcement and members of communitycorrections reparative boards.
- Youth Probation Officer, Bozeman, MT 11/1999-12/2000
- • Assigned to 18th District Youth Court Intensive Supervision Program with small caseload to better monitor serious offenders. Gathered grant-related statistics for MBCC, pre-JCATS. Obtained funding for Moral Reconation Therapytraining for self and fellow probation officers to present to offenders.
- • Completed the DOJ/NIC Restorative Justice Academy Training for Trainers. Initiated the Victim Offender Mediation Dialogue program to bring youthful offenders face to face with the victims and to work out a restitution plan to repair the harm caused by the crime.
- • Completed the U of Minnesota Victims of Severe Violence Meet the Offender Training.
- Prevention Program Specialist, Sacramento, CA 6/1986-6/1990
- • With the Governor's Office of Criminal Justice Planning, provided training and technical assistance to law enforcement and communitybased organizations on state-of-the-art crime prevention strategies in California, transferred to Office of AIDS in 1989.
- • Developed grant proposal requests and negotiated contracts to spend over $1,000,000 for crime prevention projects. Monitored and consulted with grantees to assist them in complying with their contracts. Prepared evaluation of those grants for the State Legislature.
- Deputy Sheriff/Juvenile Crimes Investigator, Jackson, WY 3/1980-6/1986
- • Developed the Teton County Sheriff's Office Youth Services/Crime Prevention Unit. Trained law enforcement officers and communitymembers in sexual assault prevention, child safety, signs of child sexual abuse, reporting and neighborhood watch
- • Member of the County Child Protection Team and Task Force on Sexual Assault as lead child victim interviewer and criminal investigator on child sexual assault and abuse cases
- • Member of Juvenile Court sponsored Youth Council to coordinate countyresources for diversion and intervention services for troubling youth.
- Volunteer Appointments
- • San Juan County Unified School District- School Social Worker and Restorative Discipline Coach, Silverton, CO
- • Advisory Member for Family Resources-Gallatin County Family Justice Coordinating Council
- • Family Mediator-Community Mediation Center, Bozeman, MT
- • Commissioner-Juvenile Justice/Delinquency Prevention Commission, Alameda County
- • Prison Project-Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Berkeley, CA
- • Meditation Sponsor-Open Gate Sangha, Montana State Prison
- • Citizen Member-Gallatin County Community Corrections Board
- • Citizen Member-Gallatin County Detention Center Evaluation Committee
- PowerPoints, Articles, and Publications
- Victim Offender Dialogue: a restorative practice (2024)
- Restorative Discipline for Silverton School ppt (2020)
- Restorative Discipline for Bozeman Schools.ppt (2018)
- Assessing Our Special Needs Children (2017)
- Trauma Informed Social Work Practice and Restorative Justice.ppt (2015)
- After the Trauma, Helping Students Cope.ppt (2014)
- Restorative Justice Through Family Group Conferencing.ppt (2013)
- Introduction to School Peacemaking Circles.ppt (2012)
- Collaborative Problem Solving for Parents (2011)
- Prison and Jail Volunteer Dharma Training (2003)
- Introduction to Balanced and Restorative Justice.ppt (2002)
- “The Relationship of Students’ Perceptions of School Safety and Caring to Latino Youth Gang Membership”
- San José State University Graduate School of Social Work Thesis, May 2008
- “City-Wide Peace Council”
- Oakland Mayor’s Youth Violence Task Force, December 2006
- “Alternative sentencing ideas being ignored”
- Guest Columnist. Bozeman Daily Chronicle. June 26, 2002
- "We need a new jail, but we haven’t done our homework”
- Guest Columnist. Bozeman Daily Chronicle. February 12, 2002
- "Face-to-face meeting between victims and offenders can get remarkable results”
- Guest Columnist. Bozeman Daily Chronicle. August 17, 1999.
- "Crime Prevention in the 1990's-Time for Greater Partnerships"
- Journal of California Law Enforcement, Volume 22, Number 4. 1988.