Staff

RUTH HALSTEAD

FoundeR, PResident/CEO

Ruth has been a practicing Marriage and Family Therapist for over a decade. She owns Ruth’s Family Therapy, a private practice in Merrillville, Indiana. Ruth created a study on non-suicidal self-injury at Purdue Calumet and published her findings in the Journal of Couple and Marital Therapy titled, “Self-Injury and Family Dynamics: A Correlation Analysis.” Ruth served on the Suicide Prevention Council at Geminis, where she offered suicide prevention training to the Northwest Indiana schools. Ruth co-founded the Self-Injury Support Groups of Northwest Indiana with Lynda Smith in February of 2016, where she currently serves as president and CEO.     

LINDA ANGuIANO

GROUP FACILITATOR

Linda has maintained a professional Spiritual Counselor license for nearly 20 years. She volunteers much of her time for worthy causes in the Northwest Indiana area that include serving on the board of trustees for 12 different not-for-profit organizations. Linda has training in film production and writing. Linda loves to offer meditation and other spiritual seminars. She is politically active in advocating for women, children, immigrant rights, and protections for animals and the environment. 

Lynda Smith

Co-Founder

Lynda Smith co-founded the Self-Injury Support Groups of Northwest Indiana in Feb. 2016 with Ruth Halstead. Lynda was the first facilitator of the Family Support Group that continues today. This group was the first of its kind that we know of and was created to offer to family and friends of those who are using self-injury support and help of their own. Lynda served these families and the SISG organization by sharing her own experiences and empathetic support. Lynda served on the Geminis Suicide Prevention Council and gave presentations at their state and local conferences. 

Amie Rainfish

Group Facilitator

Amie has been a victim’s advocate since 2001 and has assisted victims with addictions, recovery, domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual abuse, PTSD, human trafficking and suicide prevention. She is certified through Office for Victims of Crime, with specific considerations for providing trauma-informed-care when assisting victims with protective orders and advocacy coordination. Amie works as a coordinator for the Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program and as a lived experience field expert. She is an Alumni AmeriCorps member. She has volunteered the past 4 years in Porter and Lake Counties training others in prevention programs.