Life as a Death Investigator
Andrea never planned on becoming a death investigator. A forensic psychology internship led to her spending 12 years notifying families of loved ones' deaths. In this conversation with hosts Morgen and Ashley, she explains why her therapeutic training made her better at her job even though she wasn't practicing therapy. She opens up about the toll of investigating child deaths, going through an experience with a toxic supervisor that forced her to rebuild from scratch. It's a raw look at burnout, resilience, and how mental health training shows up in the most unexpected corners of public service.
Guest Bio:
Andrea McGinnis has a Master of Art in Forensic Psychology from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology and a Bachelor of Art in Psychology from Hood College. She briefly started her career working with juveniles across school and home settings doing applied behavioral analysis before settling in Denver, CO in the non-clinical world. Andrea worked for 12 years as a medicolegal death investigator for the Medical Examiner’s Office where she obtained state and national certifications and organization memberships. Andrea has presented at local and state levels on a variety of topics including: Introduction to Death Investigations; Sudden Unexplained Infant Deaths and Child Death Investigation; and Victim Advocacy and its Role in Death Investigations. She has spent the last two years as an assistant in Autism Support for elementary-age students with high behavior and speech needs. Andrea is currently exploring the world of education in a variety of capacities.
Host Bios:
Ashley Charbonneau, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, evaluator, clinical supervisor, consultant, and educator. Her clinical expertise centers on working with individuals impacted by the legal system, grounded in a commitment to offender accountability, survivor healing, and restorative justice.
Ashley has developed multiple 45-hour training programs on clinical supervision and is the author of The Resilient Therapist (Bloomsbury, 2026) and Supporting Clients of Sexual Trauma: Establishing Safety, Processing Shame, and Fostering Healthy Intimacy (PESI, 2026). She provides training nationally on restorative justice, addiction, clinical supervision, working with individuals who have committed sexual offenses, professional boundaries in therapy, and mandatory reporting.
To contact Ashley directly, her website is: https://www.ensopllc.com/
Morgen Villegas, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, writer, consultant, and an EMDR International Association Approved Consultant. Through her practice, Vida Idílica Therapy & Consulting, she specializes in helping women heal from trauma, attachment wounds, emotional neglect, and the lasting effects of overfunctioning and caregiving. Using a blend of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), she helps clients reconnect with themselves and create lives that feel more authentic, spacious, and connected.
Morgen also provides consultation to EMDR therapists seeking greater confidence and nuance in working with complex trauma. Drawing from both professional expertise and lived experience, she is passionate about helping people move beyond "faking fine" and toward lasting healing. She is the author of Shadows to Light, a collection of stories and reflections on emotional neglect, motherhood, and breaking intergenerational cycles. Morgen lives in Colorado with her husband, two sons, rescue dog Raven, and an ever-growing stack of library books waiting to be read.
To contact Morgen directly, her website is: vida-idilica.com
