Garland has a unique strength for speaking about Addiction and Mental Health. She is a person in recovery, a clinician, and a researcher. Having a membership in all three areas, she envisions herself assisting to bridge the gap between academia, clinical/professional practice, and the public.

She believes that bridging the gaps can create an alliance- reducing stigma, producing more impactful research and improvements in the crisis of addiction. 

 

Garland holds a PhD from UC San Diego, School of Medicine/San Diego State University, School of Social Work specializing in Research on Substance Use. She has an MA in Clinical Psychology with a training emphasis in providing psychotherapy and specializations in Addictive Disorders and Psychological Trauma. She also has a Certification in Alcohol and Drug Counseling (CADC-II) through the state of California. 

Garland works within the community providing Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and Mental Health awareness education to clinicians, law enforcement, families, and students. Her research has focused on Substance Use and Mental Health related stigma, primarily within the criminal legal system. Currently she is working on research exploring and assessing criminal legal professional burnout and how it affects occupational wellness, as well as SUD-related case practices.