Doris Brevoort, PhD, was first inspired to the fields of counseling and education after meeting Paulo Freire, an educator and the author of “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” in 1971. Subsequently joining SUNY Empire State College, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in the sociology of childhood, folklore and the performing arts in education in 1974. She followed this with licensure in massage therapy and began her career as a massage therapist with New Seattle Massage in 1981, a position she held until 2018. During this time, she continued her studies and received her teacher certification from Evergreen State College, followed by a Master of Arts in education in school counseling and family counseling from the University of Washington in 1991 and a Doctor of Philosophy in human science from Saybrook University in 2012.
In 1991, Dr. Brevoort joined the Seattle Public Schools as an educator, becoming a special education teacher and school counselor in 2004. She retired from teaching in 2016, but remains active as a massage therapist and mental health counselor with Skagit Valley Healing Arts and as a family caregiver with COPES. Continuing to further her expertise, she has been certified in education administration, brain research in education, and, most recently, as a mental health counselor associate from the Washington State Department of Health in 2021. Above everything, Dr. Brevoort considers the highlight of her career to be her work in education and having created a good environment for her students to learn and excel.
In order to keep abreast of developments in her field, Dr. Brevoort maintains professional affiliation with the American Massage Therapy Association and the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. Furthermore, she has authored several articles in her areas of expertise, such as “The Teacher’s Guide to Neuro-Education” and “Applications of Neuroscience to Education Among Elementary and Middle School Teachers: A Mixed-Method Exploration,” her doctoral dissertation. Dr. Brevoort aims for her next publication to be the book “Bringing Marcia Home,” a memoir about her time spent as her sister’s caregiver.
An active member of her community as well, Dr. Brevoort is the co-founder of the Turning Institute and has served as a member of both the Main Street design committee for the city of Mount Vernon, Washington, and the community advisory committee for the Citizen’s Advisory Group for Transit. She continues to hold membership in the Sierra Club, her local Unitarian church, and the League of Women Voters, where she is a staunch advocate for the protection of voters’ rights. Having run for both city council and mayor of Mount Vernon, Dr. Brevoort is currently campaigning as a candidate for Washington state representative.