PALM DESERT, CA, December 04, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Sandy Islands has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Dr. Islands has established a distinguished career spanning four decades in the fields of mental health, addiction counseling, psychotherapy and writing. Since 2019, she has served as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in private practice at Energy Illumination LLC, where she provides psychotherapy to clients, manages a reduced private therapy caseload and completes client documentation. Notably, Dr. Island's broad expertise in psychotherapy is widely recognized, and her signature platform reminds clients that they have the capacity to gain new perspectives by focusing on the transformative power of a change in perception while gaining self-reflective awareness.

Concurrently, Dr. Islands has excelled as an LPCC at Desert Marriage and Family Counseling from 2018-2022, supporting individuals and families through evidence-based therapeutic interventions. She also served as the Clinical Director at Pacifica Recovery Inc. from 2018 through 2019, where she oversaw clinical operations, supervised staff and ensured the delivery of high-quality behavioral health services. In 2018, Dr. Islands thrived as a therapist at Bella Monte Recovery Center, providing direct care to individuals struggling with substance use disorders.

Dr. Islands earned additional practical experience as a manager and Mental Health Clinician at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation from 2016 to 2018, a tenure that allowed her to contribute to one of the nation's leading addiction treatment organizations. There, she supervised counselors, performed psychological evaluations, facilitated group therapy sessions, developed individualized treatment plans and supported clients on their paths to recovery. Between 2011 and 2016, Dr. Islands served as the Director of Behavioral Health at Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West, Florida, capably leading multidisciplinary teams, coordinating patient care and implementing trauma-informed practices that improved outcomes for patients with complex needs.

As the Clinical Coordinator at Hale O'Pio in Kauai, Hawaii, from 2009 to 2010, Dr. Islands managed program development and provided direct counseling services. In 2010, Dr. Islands also worked as a Licensed Mental Health counselor at Guidance Care Center of the Lower Keys, further expanding her experience in community-based mental health services. Throughout her career, she has also taught classes on important topics such as trauma-informed care, mental health and substance abuse, life skills and parenting, and Dr. Islands has facilitated support groups for cancer patients and caregivers.

A passion for continuous learning prompted Dr. Islands to pursue academic excellence. She completed a bachelor's degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from West Virginia University in 1976 before pursuing graduate studies. She now holds a Master of Science in Speech Pathology from West Virginia University, earned in 1977, and a Master of Arts in Counseling from the same institution, which she finished in 1979. Notably, Dr. Islands also holds a terminal degree in her field after completion of a Doctor of Philosophy in Hypnotherapy in 1989. In 2006 she completed a Master of Arts degree in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University. Her thesis was a market ready novel, A Ripple in Time, that she's rewritten and published in 2022.

Dr. Islands holds several professional certifications that have enabled her to maintain high standards of care throughout her career. She has been recognized as an LPCC by the Board of Behavioral Sciences in California since 2014. She was originally licensed as a Mental Health Counselor in Florida in 1985 and is also credentialed as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Dr. Islands entered her own recovery from addiction and codependency in 1992 and still practices 12 Step programs. Her lived recovery experiences have inspired a deeper understanding and specialization in addiction counseling and has shaped her compassionate approach toward clients facing similar challenges.

Dr. Islands actively seeks opportunities for civic engagement. She is a sponsor in her 12 Step recovery programs and provides service as a member of NA, CODA and Al Anon. Her service within these organizations reflects her ongoing commitment to supporting individuals on their recovery journeys. Additionally, she served as a board member for a women's homeless shelter in Key West. Dr. Islands attributes many of her choices and her advancement to self-awareness, compassion and forgiveness, principles she enacts daily during interactions with family, clients and colleagues.

Along with her novel, A Ripple in Time, Dr. Islands first published Be The Light Thoughts for the Day, including 366 daily readings on various spiritual topics. Also, a beloved children's author, she published The Magical Butterfly rhyming series including The Complaining Caterpillar, The Sneaky Snake, The Timid Turtle and The Lazy Lizard. From 2006-2009, Dr. Islands also contributed a weekly column, "Let's Look at Ourselves and Lighten Up," for Conch Color magazine.

Dr. Islands' perseverance through adversity—most notably maintaining sobriety—stands as her most significant achievement. She is proud to model compassion and forgiveness and to teach these values through counseling and authorship. She achieves balance through needlepointing, Pilates and volunteering, and she is dedicated to her family, which includes her husband, to whom she is a caregiver, one son and extended family. Looking toward the future, Dr. Islands intends to step back from active clinical psychotherapy to focus more on making a positive impact through her writing projects that include new novels, another thought-for-the-day book, a memoir and a collection based on her past newspaper columns.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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