"It is not often that you encounter a consultant such as Dr. DeCandia who integrates passion with effective solutions to enhance holistic services to organizations, families and individuals. We were fortunate to have her come to Wisconsin. Her insights and analysis were embraced by our staff with great results. An outstanding leader and change agent who offers sound evaluation and effective problem solving with mature resolutions and program direction."
Jenna Armstrong, MA, Fellow, Doris Duke Fellowships for the Promotion of Child Well-Being at Chapin Hall
"It is not often that you encounter a consultant such as Dr. DeCandia who integrates passion with effective solutions to enhance holistic services to organizations, families and individuals. We were fortunate to have her come to Wisconsin. Her insights and analysis were embraced by our staff with great results. An outstanding leader and change agent who offers sound evaluation and effective problem solving with mature resolutions and program direction."
Rev. Dr. Carmen Porco, CEO Housing Ministries of American Baptists of Wisconsin.
"Dr. DeCandia has a deep understanding of child and adolescent development, as well as the impact of trauma on the developing brain. Her understanding of research and theory is enhanced by her practical experience in the field. As an instructor, Dr. DeCandia has a unique ability to translate complex concepts into practical guidance for working effectively with families."
Deborah Stolbach, LICSW, online training course participant
"Dr. DeCandia is one of the most talented professionals I have had the pleasure of working with. She has a unique and potent combination of talents: expertise in program development, assessment, training, and research, positioned within her comprehensive clinical understanding of mental health. She excels in leadership positions, providing a keen vision for success while developing and supervising staff, encouraging creativity and efficiency. She has exceptional communication skills, which is demonstrated in her writing, presentations, and trainings. Her dedication and professionalism is unwavering, which consistently inspires the highest quality of work from both herself and those she works with."
Maureen Hayes, Ph.D., Researcher, Philadelphia, PA
"Homes for Families has relied on Dr. DeCandia over the past decade to provide expert guidance and consultation. She is a valued colleague, partner, trauma expert, facilitator, trainer, researcher, writer, and advocate. She has been our ‘go to person’ for projects to evolve the systemic and programmatic responses to family homelessness. She brings a unique blend of academic and on the ground experience, combined with passion for the work, compassion for families, and commitment to social justice. The result is highly professional and quality work."
Libby Hayes, CEO Homes for Families, Boston, MA
"The support I received from Carmela as my supervisor at The National Center on Family Homelessness enabled me to grow and build my confidence as a trauma-informed care trainer and product developer."
Rose Clervil, MSW
"I would highly recommend Dr. DeCandia for any organization trying to increase effectiveness with traumatized populations or deepen their trauma-informed approach to services. We engaged her in Fort Worth and Tarrant County to bring a greater awareness to our work with homeless women and children. We found her to be equally effective with large and small groups, with staff who are new to the work or possess significant clinical and programmatic expertise. She is an excellent listener and is therefore able to tailor her presentations and consultation to the individual needs of the program or agency."
Carol Klocek, CEO, Center for Transforming Lives,, Fort Worth, TX
"Dr. DeCandia is committed to improving service delivery systems for vulnerable families. She is brilliant, grounded in science, experienced in direct practice, and passionate about influencing public policy. Dr. DeCandia employs a variety of strategies including writing, formal assessment, consultation, technical assistance, and training to advance evidence-based best practices in human service agencies. We’ve been fortunate to make use of her clinical expertise and communication skills to amplify the voices of families in need."
Mattie Lord, Chief Program Officer UMOM, Phoenix Arizona
"As a social justice educator in Antioch University New England’s Clinical Psychology doctoral program, I have been consistently impressed by Dr. DeCandia's consistent, committed, and innovative integration of professional psychology practices with a social justice mission. I have eagerly followed her since I was her dissertation advisor in the 1990s, and held her up to our students as one of the foremost models of our department’s social justice values."
Susan E. Hawes, PhD, Professor, Clinical Psychology, Antioch University New England, Keene, NH
"Artemis Associates, in partnership with t3, has been a key in implementing a Trauma Informed Care (TIC) framework at The Road Home. Carmela adopted her training to meet the varied needs of staff and made the information accessible to a range of teams - from Operations to Administration. Carmela's knowledge of organizational change and the time it takes to transform a culture has assisted us in pacing the implementation process so that we are set up for success. Under Carmela’s guidance we created an organization-wide work plan for our first year of TIC implementation and look forward to continuing the journey towards a trauma informed transformation."
Jeniece Olson, Director of Supportive Housing Services, The Road Home Salt Lake City, Utah
"At the risk of using hyperbole, Carmela DeCandia is thoughtfully “disrupting” the homeless industry that far too frequently focuses on bricks and mortar solutions to homelessness, to the exclusion of the critical role of supportive services. With a surgeon like precision and spot on evidence- based information, Dr. DeCandia’s is changing the narrative of how providers address family homelessness. Charlotte Family Housing was fortunate to engage Dr. DeCandia as a consultant in 2016/17. Her work was predictably impactful to our organization, particularly as it relates to our client assessment and intake. We will gladly engage her in future work and wholeheartedly recommend Artemis Associates to other providers."
Stephen L. Smith, Esq., Executive Director, Charlotte Family Housing, Charlotte, NC
"The YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County invested several years in building programs to be person-centered and trauma-informed. At some point in our progression we realized for us to have optimal results we needed to invest in organizational transformation. Having long followed Dr. DeCandia’s work and launching of Artemis Associates, we hired her as our consultant. Dr. DeCandia was instrumental in helping all staff, leadership, Board of Directors and our stakeholder’s understand why trauma-informed care work is critical and to help us turn knowledge into skill and concrete action. The work is emotional, exposing but most importantly rewarding! We continue to work with Artemis Associates to help us develop new competencies, implement policy and to help us navigate uncharted waters. We highly recommend her expertise and talent to help other organizations transform and have collective impact on those who have experienced trauma. This is truly a great investment!"
Carrie Michel-Wynne, VP, YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County, NY
"Dr. DeCandia's sessions at our 2017 annual conference were full of significant learning for our staff from across the country. One person asked if we could have her back every year. Over 50% of attendees named a concept or specific learning from her session for their 'one big take-away' from the conference. Dr. DeCandia's presentation style was inviting and warm, while packed full of significant, relevant information for the social workers and executive directors in our network. We are delighted to have her return as the plenary speaker for the 2018 annual conference."
Edith Yoder, Executive Director, Bridge of Hope National
Artemis Associates, LLC is a woman-owned business that promotes resilience for children, families, and communities. Grounded in direct service and person-centered care, Artemis Associates conducts assessments, provides consultation and training, engages in research, develops and shares knowledge, and advocates for compassionate, high-quality services for children and families in need. Unbounded, passionate, and purposeful, Artemis Associates will go the distance to ensure all children, families, and their providers are seen, heard, and understood.
Our Mission
To improve the lives of children, families, and the systems that serve them.
Consultation & Training
As an organizational consultant and trainer, I create authentic, values based partnerships and share evidence based, best practices to support staff and organizational development. My expertise is in developing environments that foster resilience; not just for clients, but for staff. Your priorities guide the process. Training and consultation services are tailored to meet your needs, at your pace.
My Background
Since 1989 I have worked with children and families affected by trauma and adversity. I have successfully designed programs and built organizations to support trauma-informed, resiliency based, service delivery. At the national level, I work to address policies and disseminate comprehensive solutions to address child and family homelessness. I served as a policy mentor for the Doris Duke Fellowships for the Promotion of Child Well-Being at Chapin Hall, and am the 2016 recipient of the Horace Mann Spirit of Service Award from Antioch University.
Approach to Assessment
Assessment lies at the core of all work with children and families. To support healthy development, parents, teachers, and providers must understand a child’ unique strengths and needs. At Strong Roots Counseling I provide neurodevelopmental and psychological assessment of children age 0-17 years to identify learning needs, developmental delays and strengths, and clarify behavioral or diagnostic questions.
Our Values
- Integrity
- Authentic Relationships
- Passion, Purpose, Persistence
- Quality and Excellence
- Engaged Action
“I have been consistently impressed by Dr. DeCandia’s consistent, committed, and innovative integration of professional psychology practices with a social justice mission. For her exceptional commitment, Antioch honored her with the 2016 Horace Mann Spirit of Service Award.”– Susan E. Hawes, PhD, Professor, Clinical Psychology, Antioch University New England, Keene, NH
2016 Horace Mann Spirit of Service Award
Listen to Dr. DeCandia’s acceptance speech for the 2016 Horace Mann Spirit of Service Award at Antioch University, New England where she discusses her passion, purpose, persistence, and importance of relationships and engaged action.