CASEY GABRIEL
Gainesville,FL
Summary
Dedicated and dynamic Mental Health Counseling student with professional interest and experience in supporting early childhood development. Seeks to support children and their families through difficult life transitions and navigating social system challenges. Oriented toward Play-based, creative, and narrative approaches. Aspiring to certification as a Registered Play Therapist.
Overview
1
1
Certification
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Student Co-Counselor
UF Couple and Family Clinic
Gainesville, FL
08.2026 - Current
- Collaborate in providing family therapy with a co-counselor under live supervision
- Gathered family history to assess needs and collaboratively establish treatment goals
- Develop a tailored treatment plan in collaboration with the family
- Monitored safety concerns and implemented crisis risk-assessment procedures to ensure client well-being
- Research and implement appropriate family therapy techniques and interventions
- Documented client progress and maintained confidential case notes to support ongoing treatment evaluations
- Supervisor(s): Dr. Amber Moss-Lazarczyk, Robert Ocampo
Childcare Provider
Freelance
Winter Haven & Gainesville, FL
06.2019 - Current
- Provided 2,500+ (contd.) hours of scheduled and on-call childcare for 5 multi-child families (Ages 2-10)
- Support developmental milestones through active play and evidence-based caregiving strategies
- Facilitate social-emotional growth by fostering conflict management, emotional regulation, and empathy skills
- Enhance literacy skills with engaged reading time, including teaching reading strategies to children ages 4+
- Utilize trauma-informed and developmentally-appropriate strategies for children with various neurotypes and trauma histories
- Establish strong communication with parents and adapt strategies to meet family needs
Research Assistant
Anita Zucker Center
Gainesville, FL
08.2024 - 05.2026
- Conducted second-level qualitative analyses of Florida Early Steps coaching videos in English and Spanish, enhancing research accuracy and insights into early childhood interventions
- Set data targets for second-level coders during first-level reviews, improving clarity and focus of data analysis process
- Created standards for accuracy and implementation of manualized procedures through active participation in biweekly coding team meetings
- Contributed to center-wide community outreach and recruitment efforts, enhancing engagement with local stakeholders
- FL-EPIC Grant
- Employer/Supervisor: Patricia Snyder, PhD, Co-Director
Administrative Assistant
Play and Wellness Center
Gainesville, FL
01.2025 - 12.2025
- Facilitated client communication, scheduled appointments, and maintained confidential records.
- Organized office space and administrative documents to enhance operational efficiency.
- Created a welcoming environment for child clients and families, improving client satisfaction.
- Coordinated community outreach events and developed related materials to increase community engagement.
- Reflected on observations and experiences during supervision meetings with counselors.
- Kept current with ethical considerations and field standards through continued education.
- Supervisor: Kristina Chance, LMHC, RPTM, Practice Owner.
Undergraduate Shadow
Play and Wellness Center
Gainesville, FL
07.2024 - 12.2025
- Shadowed 120+ hours of play therapy sessions with a licensed mental health counselor
- Observed therapeutic techniques fostering children's emotional regulation and development, focusing on solution-focused and frustration tolerance strategies
- Learned effective note-taking strategies for EHR
Undergraduate Volunteer & Shadow
Heartland Counseling Center
Winter Haven, FL
05.2024 - 06.2024
- Completed 60+ volunteer hours shadowing licensed mental health counselors and supporting administrative staff
- Learned diverse theoretical frameworks and therapeutic strategies with experienced mental health counselors
- Gained understanding of strategies for working with clients of various demographic backgrounds
- Observed neuropsychological assessments with Forensic Psychologist, Dr. Robert Allison
- Created informational materials on childhood ADHD and Autism for family distribution
- Researched and synthesized existing counseling practices for specific concerns (e.g., schizophrenia reality testing, PDA Autism profiles, self-harm coping strategies)
- Supervisor: Robert Allison, PhD, Clinical Director
Data Collector & Data Management Lead
Anita Zucker Center
Gainesville, FL
08.2022 - 05.2024
- Conducted 50+ live behavioral observations in elementary school classrooms including quantitative measures on teacher-student interaction, classroom atmosphere, and momentary time samples
- Administered the Woodcock-Johnson IV (WJ-IV) assessment to 20+ focal students to track the progression of cognitive skills and academic knowledge
- Applied developmentally appropriate emotional regulation strategies, games, and rewards to establish rapport with students and facilitate stress management during assessments
- Entered de-identified data into REDCap, ensuring data security and confidentiality
- Fostered respectful and professional interactions with faculty, personnel, and students
- Mentored new team of data collectors and the data management team according to operationalized standards
- Maintained communication with BEST in CLASS cross-site teams
- BEST in CLASS-Elementary: Sustainment & Efficacy Study
- Employer/Supervisor: Maureen Conroy, PhD, Co-Director
Teaching Assistant
Social Psychology, University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
01.2023 - 05.2024
- Led weekly breakout sessions for 15+ students, enhancing comprehension and engagement through guided discussions and practice questions
- Created supplemental materials to deepen students' understanding of course material
- Delivered lectures on “Attitudes” and “Cognitive Dissonance”
- Designed exam questions and materials to assess conceptual understanding
- Graded assignments and proctored exams, ensuring consistency and academic integrity
- Collected weekly student feedback to tailor study sessions
- Received 95% positive feedback for supportive teaching style, boosting engagement in complex subjects
- Supervisor: Erin Westgate, PhD
Research Assistant
Marion County Diversion Drug Court Grant
Gainesville, FL
05.2022 - 11.2023
- Processed and coded 100+ court data forms and administrative records
- Reviewed and corrected data from team members to ensure accuracy and consistency
- Collaborated with project coordinators and research team to meet objectives and resolve data issues
- Completed a 10-page capstone literature review titled “Examination of Drug Court as an Alternative to Incarceration in the Interest of Family Preservation” that examined the body of research regarding Drug Court programs and outcomes of participating families
- Supervisor: Jodi Lane, PhD
Volunteer Data Collector
Project RISE
Duval County, FL
06.2022
- Presented assent and instructional scripts
- Reassured students of confidentiality, clarified definitions, and helped navigate the REDCap survey
- Completed data collection sheets and documented observational notes
- Provided information in Spanish to ELL students and assisted with accessing the translated survey
- Supervisor: Joni Splett, PhD
Education
M.Ed./Ed.S. - Mental Health Counseling
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL12-2027
B.S./B.A. - Psychology/Criminology
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL05-2025
Skills
- Client communication
- Establishing safety & rapport
- Suicide & crisis intervention
- Case management & documentation
- Group facilitation
- Trauma-Informed approaches
- Supporting developmental milestones
- Collaboration and team-building
- Oriented toward integrated care
- Administrative & organizational tasks
- Languages: English and Spanish
Certification
- American Counseling Association - Student Member
- LivingWorks - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
- LivingWorks - Suicide to Hope (S2H)
- Psychological First Aid (PFA)
- Practical Application of HIPAA and
Mental Health Ethics for Admin
Staff - Person Centered Tech - HIPAA
- FERPA
- Good Clinical Practice
Affiliations
- Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) Beta Chapter - Mental Health Track Representative
- UF Delta Alpha Pi (DAPi) Honor Society
Accomplishments
- William and Lucille Lindsay Scholar
- Florida Early Childhood Policy Institute - Selected to Attend Early Childhood Week and Speak with State Legislators - Tallahassee, 2026
Timeline
Student Co-Counselor
UF Couple and Family Clinic
08.2026 - Current
Administrative Assistant
Play and Wellness Center
01.2025 - 12.2025
Research Assistant
Anita Zucker Center
08.2024 - 05.2026
Undergraduate Shadow
Play and Wellness Center
07.2024 - 12.2025
Undergraduate Volunteer & Shadow
Heartland Counseling Center
05.2024 - 06.2024
Teaching Assistant
Social Psychology, University of Florida
01.2023 - 05.2024
Data Collector & Data Management Lead
Anita Zucker Center
08.2022 - 05.2024
Volunteer Data Collector
Project RISE
06.2022
Research Assistant
Marion County Diversion Drug Court Grant
05.2022 - 11.2023
Childcare Provider
Freelance
06.2019 - Current
M.Ed./Ed.S. - Mental Health Counseling
University of Florida
B.S./B.A. - Psychology/Criminology
University of Florida