Elizabeth Bouvier-Fitzgerald was born in Providence. Her first job was on a dairy farm on Martha’s Vineyard when she was 13. She had big plans to hitch-hike to Belize and sell coffee on the beach after high school but her mother dragged her to college instead. With encouragement from amazing professors she graduated with a dual-master’s in clinical mental health and expressive psychotherapy from Lesley University. She realized none of her classmates had ever been homeless which is about the time she became interested in research on trauma and resilience. Over the past 15 years she’s worked as a licensed professional counselor, clinical supervisor, researcher, trauma-informed care advocate and trainer. She’d like to thank her mother for insisting she get an education.

Elizabeth and her husband live in Bend with their dog Ratchet, named after his dad’s career as a vintage motorcycle mechanic. They enjoy being a family of creative introverts and searching for buried treasure along the coast of Astoria.