Beckie Child, MSW, Ph.D was born in Ogden, Utah on March 16 1964 to Jewelene and Cloy Child. Soon after sister Teresa came along the family moved to a chicken farm in the village of Kanesville, Utah in 1968. More siblings came along in order, Daren, Lorinda, Danita, Cristy, and Eric. Beckie spent her young childhood on the farm and loved all animals – horses, dogs and especially cats. All those working cats on a chicken farm. For Beckie, being out of the family house and in nature was peaceful and a sanctuary.
Beckie graduated from Roy High School and in 1983 moved from the farm back into Ogden to go to Weber State University where she eventually received a teaching degree. She wanted to be a teacher, to teach children, to be a schoolteacher. And she spent some time school teaching, but things happened and things happened and soon Beckie decided to make a fresh start and she moved to Portland in about 1992. For her siblings, Beckie would always be the big sister who moved away.
Life in Portland started rough for Beckie. Without much support or income, housing was a constant problem, her mental health suffered. Her encounters with the mental health system were shaped in part by being homeless three times and hospitalized more than 40 times. But she was a determined independent person, and soon found colleagues at Mind Empowered, a socializing program for people with mental illness. Beckie soon joined their board of directors and helped guide the agency through its final days.
Beckie went on to repair and rehabilitate Mental Health America of Oregon as their executive director. Over time she helped advise multiple peer-run organizations, both in Oregon and around the country. She became a certified Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) counselor. Beckie also served on a number of non-profit boards of directors, attended and presented at national conferences, and built close relationships with dozens of peer-centered mental health advocacy thought leaders.
She was appointed by Governor John Kitzhaber and served on the Oregon State Hospital Advisory Board in 2012 and served the state for nine years. She served on both Disability Rights Oregon’s Board of Directors and Mental Health Advisory Council. She served on SAMHSA’s Wellness Steering Committee. She was advisor to the Mental Health Association of Portland, and won the organization’s prestigious Oregon Advocacy Award in 2019.
Her work for the state included coordinating the Adult Mental Health and Addictions Services for Trauma Informed Oregon. On a national level, she provided leadership to the Peerlink National Technical Assistance Center and trainings on how trauma activates physiological responses along with practical steps to gain more control over these responses.
Beckie also provided trainings on self-injury, suicidal ideation, trauma-informed care, psychiatric advance directives, and how to talk to your doctor about medication concerns to a wide variety of student groups and mental health stakeholders. She also trained law enforcement officers and judges on legal issues involving people diagnosed with mental illness.
Beckie received her BA in Elementary Education in 2003 from Weber State, and a Master’s Degree in social work from Portland State University in 2009. She completed her dissertation on the Health Literacy Needs of People Diagnosed with Mental Illness in 2022. Beckie taught for eight years at Portland State University School of Social Work before joining Utica University where she taught the principals of recovery to young social workers.
Beckie loved all animals, especially her cats. She had many close friends including Charleen Hill, Cheryl Lambert, Donita Diamata, Laveta Sherman, and professional colleagues Angela Kimball, Greg Roberts, Steve Miccio, Bob Nikkel, Tim Murphy, Nev Jones, Susan Stefen, Greg Roberts, Jason Renaud, Amanda Marshall, Bob Joondeph, David Oaks, Janie Gullickson, Jacek Haciak, and Jennifer Mathis.
Beckie child died on October 8, 2025 in hospice after a long struggle with cancer in hospice, surrounded by friends and at peace with her faith.