Certified as a motivational coach, hypnotherapist, and professional assistant, Maureen Ann Graves began her career as a volunteer co-facilitator with the Siouxland Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in 1976 before becoming a counselor in 1979. To further her skills, she attended a yearlong program at the Gestalt Institute of Iowa, from which she graduated in 1980. In 1981, she co-founded the New Hope Alcohol and Addiction Center, where she worked as a counselor until 1998. During this period, she also spent time as a consultant for the St. Luke Hospital’s addiction center and opened her own private practice.
In 1997, Ms. Graves began work as a Reiki practitioner and is presently active as a self-esteem and spirituality consultant. Greatly inspired by the counseling method pioneered by Virginia Satir, she served as a trainer for the Virginia Satir-International Training Institute for a number of years and has been an active member of the Virginia Satir Global Network since 1994, where she was president from 2008 to 2010. She was also active as a co-leader for the Satir Family Camp from 1992 to 2010. Furthermore, she is a founding member of the Moscow Institute for Professional Development of Psychologists and Social Workers.
Ms. Graves has also been active in her local community, serving on the Avanta Faculty Governing Council from 1994 to 2008. In addition, she has been involved with First 5 Sacramento, a group that provides resources to parents of children ages 0-5. Alongside her husband, Thomas Darrel Graves, who is also a counselor, she attended the Worldwide Marriage Encounter in Nebraska from 1979 to 1982, where they were an executive team couple.
Concurrent to her work as a counselor, Ms. Graves crafted a secondary career in electrical engineering as a result of being raised in Detroit, a major automotive hub for the country. First earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Kettering University in 1996, she attained a master’s degree in engineering bio-mechanics from Michigan University in 1998. She later completed a Master of Business Administration in 2000.
For excellence in her career, Ms. Graves has been the recipient of a number of honors and accolades. Notably, she received a grant from First 5 Sacramento. She has further been recognized with inclusion in such publications as Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who’s Who in the Midwest, Who’s Who in the World and Who’s Who of American Women. Likewise, she has been presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor conferred by Marquis Who’s Who.