Allison R. Petersen
Summary
Dedicated psychotherapist and mediator with over 20 years of experience, dedicated to fostering collaboration and facilitating meaningful solutions for diverse individuals and families. A commitment to adaptability ensures tailored therapeutic approaches that meet the unique needs of clients facing various challenges. Passion for guiding clients through dialogue and personal growth that drives success in improving mental health.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Mediation
Self Employed
10.2019 - Current
- Foster collaboration among diverse groups to achieve mutually beneficial resolutions.
- Implement effective communication strategies to ensure clarity and transparency.
- Facilitate conflict resolution sessions focusing on constructive dialogue.
- Maintain a structured process that promotes informed and collaborative decision-making.
- Guide participants in developing actionable agreements.
Marriage and Family Therapist
Self-Employed
09.2010 - Current
- Provide therapy to children, adolescents, and adults facing anxiety, depression and behavioral issues.
- Guide individuals and families in understanding personal patterns and improving relationships.
- Develop tailored therapeutic approaches to meet diverse client needs.
- Monitor client progress and adjust therapeutic strategies as necessary.
- Collaborate with other professionals to enhance client care and outcomes.
Marriage and Family Therapist Intern
Jamie Hanna Duddy, LMFT
09.2006 - 08.2010
- Provide supervised therapy to children, adolescents and adults facing anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues.
- Collaborate therapeutic approaches to meet diverse client needs
- Monitor client progress and adjust therapeutic strategies through supervision.
Marriage and Family Therapist Intern
La Familia Day Treatment Program
08.2007 - 09.2009
- Provide individual, group and family therapy for children and teens with severe emotional disturbances in a Day Treatment Program.
- Developed and implemented personalized treatment plans tailored to individual client needs.
- Crisis intervention for students who displayed signs of out of control and threatening behaviors.
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to enhance day treatment effectiveness
- Conducted therapeutic assessments to identify psychological needs and progress.
- Engaged families in family therapy sessions to foster support and communication.
- Attend and collaborate with Individualized Education Plans for successful classroom experiences.
Classroom Mental Health Counselor
La Familia Day Treatment Program
08.2005 - 09.2007
- Developed daily group therapy sessions to elementary, middle school and high school aged children and teens with severe emotional disturbances in a Day Treatment Program.
- Developed and implemented personalized treatment plans tailored to client needs.
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams of teachers, principals, psychiatrists and therapists to enhance treatment effectiveness to meet the needs of the school districts goals.
- Conducted assessments and classroom observations to identify psychological needs and progress.
- Engaged in classroom therapeutic support for ethnically diverse students with high emotional disturbances.
Education
M.S. - Marriage and Family Therapy
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL05-2003
B.A. - Psychology
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA12.2000
B.A. - Family, Consumer, Nutrition Sciences
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA12.2000
Certification
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
- CA Board of Behavioral Sciences Issued: September 2010
- MFT License #48950
Certification: Psychological Evaluator for Immigrants
- Issued: October 2025
- Provide specialized assessments in court cases to understand an individual’s mental health status and its impact on their immigration case while addressing their mental health needs throughout their immigration journey.
Certification: Grief Treatment
- Issued: June 2024
- Provide intervention therapies to clients suffering from grief and loss.
Certification: Suicide Assessment and Intervention
- Provide assessments for suicide and implement intervention in therapeutic sessions.
Certification: Co-Parenting Plan Mediator
- Issued: December 2023
- Provide and implement successful co-parenting plans for families in need of navigating two households for their family.
Certification: CPR & First Aid
- Issued: August 2023
- Completion of HSI Adult First Aid | CPR AED Adult Child (2020) -DC class.
Trainings
The Center of Healing through Justice and Sport (CHJS)Trainings
- Issued: 2025
- Ensure that more young people and athletes have access to sport experiences that are healing-centered, inclusive and for many work to address issues of systemic injustice.
- Participate and support community-based, sports-based youth development to make sports equitable and healing-centered.
- Integrating healing-centered sport into the athletic world where the goal is to help heal trauma, effect lasting change in the world and create a foundation for broader social justice.
Advanced Telemental Health Training
- Issued: June 2024
- Effectively use tele-health practices to ensure success in therapeutic and mediation sessions.
The Clinician's Suicide Prevention Summit
- Issued: September 2021
- Focused learning on working with and treating suicidal and self-harm clients.
The Grief Summit: Grief Counseling and Treatment
- Issued: April 2021
- Focused learning on working with and treating clients who have experienced grief and loss.
Steven Rosenberg Mediation Training
- Issued: September 2019
- 40 hour Mediation class to effectively mediate a variety of issues, situations and needs of clients.
Timeline
Mediation
Self Employed
10.2019 - Current
Marriage and Family Therapist
Self-Employed
09.2010 - Current
Marriage and Family Therapist Intern
La Familia Day Treatment Program
08.2007 - 09.2009
Marriage and Family Therapist Intern
Jamie Hanna Duddy, LMFT
09.2006 - 08.2010
Classroom Mental Health Counselor
La Familia Day Treatment Program
08.2005 - 09.2007
B.A. - Psychology
University of Northern Iowa
B.A. - Family, Consumer, Nutrition Sciences
University of Northern Iowa
M.S. - Marriage and Family Therapy
Northern Illinois University