| Brett helped ETS establish the
first Christian counseling center in Croatia, where as an outreach
of the church he and others see clients from the community free
of charge. In this ministry, Brett helps children dealing with
loss due to divorce or death in the family, anger management,
ADHD, shyness, and poor self-esteem due to learning disabilities.
Brett visits various hospitals around the country leading workshops
for staff and providing play and expressive therapies, health
education, and psychological support to children with acute and
chronic illnesses and their parents. He organized and coordinated
the first camps in Croatia for children and teens with cancer,
asthma, and Chron’s disease and has co-sponsored camps for
children with diabetes and visual impairments.
During his two years of service in Romania, Brett worked with
psychologists at several special orphanages to provide early stimulation
for children who were mentally, emotionally, and socially underdeveloped,
and he modeled compassionate care for children suffering from
HIV, hepatitis, cerebral palsy, and tuberculosis. He also worked
with teachers at children’s hospitals to develop play and
creative arts programs. Brett has a real heart for children, especially
those who cannot benefit from the love of an extended family.
Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Brett graduated from the University
of California in Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in
psychology and a certificate of specialized studies in developmental
disabilities and health psychology. He spent a summer as a camp
counselor for visually impaired and disabled children at Camp
Bloomfield in Los Angeles and another summer as a volunteer occupational
therapy aide for the Duvall Home in Glenwood, Florida. After serving
as a volunteer assistant teacher at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric
Institute in Los Angeles with autistic children, he was a volunteer
child-life assistant at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
He was also a volunteer child-care specialist at Morning Glory
Hospice in Santa Rosa, California. Brett served two years as a
special education teacher trainer with the U.S. Peace Corps in
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He then founded and coordinated the child-life
program for the National Children’s Hospital of Honduras.
Brett is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Woodbury Heights,
New Jersey.
Birthday: December 30
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