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| Brian Hill began studying aikido in 1996. Brian also studied karate and tae kwon do in his youth. He was promoted to sandan (third degree black belt) in October of 2005. Brian has participated in the uchi deshi programs under Pat Hendricks sensei in San Leandro, CA, and Hitohiro Saito sensei in Iwama, Japan. Brian began teaching aikido at the Downtown Campus of J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in the fall of 2001, and began calling his dojo River City Aikido in the Spring of 2005. Brian is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has practiced psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and their families. He currently supervises substance abuse therapist at the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center. He holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Virginia Wesleyan College and a master's degree in clinical social work from Virginia Commonwealth University. |
| Julie Linker started practicing aikido in 2003 with J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, before Brian sensei officially started River City Aikido. She currently hold the rank of nikyu, and has been assisting with kids classes since they started in 2005. Julie was also a co-therapist with Brian sensei at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, where they le the Therapeutic Martial Arts Program groups with the children and adolescents placed in the Residential Program. This was a program designed to serve children with emotional and behavioral challenges, in which practical self-defense is key, but also where self-discipline, self-control, coping strategies, and safe emotional expression is fostered. Julie is a Licenced Child Psychologist, and the Associate Director of the Center for Child and Family Studies at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children where she facilitates and actively pursues her own research in the field of child and family mental health. She also provides individual and family psychotherapy for patients, and provides clinical supervision and training within the psychology training curriculum at VTCC. |
| Aikido Kids Instructors |
