Dr. Jagdish P. Dave’, Ph.D., Psy.D. has had a rich educational, experiential and professional background in Eastern and Western cultures. Dr. Dave’ came to the USA from India in 1959 on the Fulbright Exchange Program. In 1964 he obtained M.A. and Ph.D. in Education from the University of Chicago. In 1992, he obtained another doctoral degree, Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Illinois School of Professional Psychology. Since his relocation to the USA in 1959, Dr. Dave’ has been involved in creating innovative programs to meet the needs of culturally and ethnically diversified student populations. 

Dr. Dave’ has taught for 15 years in India and for 40 years in the USA as a high school teacher and as a college and university Professor of Psychology. He has received several awards for his contributions as an educator and for his community services which include an award as an Outstanding Educators of America, Faculty Excellence Award (twice) and Community Service Award at Governors State University. Dr. Dave was Centennial President (2004-2005) of Ahwatukee Foothills Rotary Club. During the past ten years his focus has been on holistic health, stress management, mindfulness parenting, and multidimensional and multicultural wellness conferences and workshops. 

Dr. Dave’, is a member of Phi Delta Kappa, American Psychological Association, International Association of Stress Management and International Rotary. Dr. Dave’ is semi-retired as a University Emeritus Professor of Psychology, is a stress management consultant and has a private practice in Phoenix, AZ. He offers workshops in stress management, wellness, and mindfulness parenting, multicultural counseling and provides community service to several organizations. He has authored two textbooks in Psychology and numerous articles, audio and videotapes on holistic health, stress management, wellness and spiritual growth. 

Currently he works as a consultant, counselor and educator at Desert Garden. He enjoys teaching Peace Education in Primary and Elementary Classrooms as well as engaging in brief counseling sessions with students and parents. Dr. Dave also teaches Science of Happiness to our Middle School students while integrating mindfulness into all areas of the curriculum. In addition to students, he also works with parents through two parenting classes that are taught throughout the year: Happy Parents, Happy Children and Mindful Parenting. 

Ms. Crystal Lindquist is part of our iTeam at Desert Garden and has a B.A. in Psychology and a LMSW in Social Work. Her professional experience has included being a researcher at University of Arizona and Arizona State University, Child/Family Therapist, and a School Social Worker and Child Development Specialist. She is currently a board member on the Infant Toddler Mental Health Coalition of Arizona and is responsible for advocacy and trainings throughout Arizona. Ms. Crystal has always been fascinated with early childhood and how early childhood experiences impact growth and development. She is extremely interested in the relationships formed with parents and caregivers during the early years and how the quality of the relationship sets the foundation for all future development: intellectual, social, emotional, physical and behavioral. Crystal received her certification through the Harris Institute at Southwest Human Development. This certification allowed her to specialize in Infant/Toddler Mental Health. Ms. Crystal is also passionate about mental health in school aged children. She is currently working towards her certified training specialization through Conscious Discipline. Conscious Discipline integrates classroom management and social-emotional learning, discipline and self-regulation. When Ms. Crystal is not working, she enjoys spending quality time with her family. She loves to stay active, travel, and learn from everyone around her. 

Ms. Linda Christensen is the Reading Support Specialist on the iTeam at Desert Garden. She has been employed at Desert Garden since 2001. Ms. Linda grew up in Minnesota where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. After teaching in the classroom, Ms. Linda discovered her passion was teaching reading to young students. She went on to complete additional studies in teaching reading and most recently completed the seminar, Screening for Dyslexia. Ms. Linda has two young children who attend Desert Garden. In her free time, she enjoys reading, spending time with her family, and being outdoors.