Kaleb Starling

Empathetic Counselor-In-Training known for connecting with clients, maintaining comfort and promoting progress during sessions. Easily collects information about patients through conversations, questions and in-depth interviews. Excellent observational skills and developing analytical skills with great insight into patients' mental state.

LISTEN Lab, 2022-2023, Dr. Kate McLean, WWU. Narrative Psychology lab, researching development of identity within LGBTQ+ communities. Collected and analyzed data from a national sample of gay, lesbian, and bi-sexual identified people over the age 50 in which they were asked to impart knowledge or wisdom to a younger person who shares the same sexual identity. Our ground breaking, peer-reviewed research paper on this topic has been accepted for publication in The Journal of Homosexuality, April 2024. 

Psychology 101, Fall 2021, Dr. Christina Scollon, Assisted Dr. Scollon with attendance and real-time monitoring of her large, online PSY 101 class. Delivered a recorded presentation on how to set-up and use SONA, an undergraduate research database. Dr. Scollon was pleased with the presentation and asked continues to use it with students.

• International Leadership Conference, 2023, Cultivating Leaders: Critical Leadership, Service-Learning, the 17 UN SDGs, and the Okanagan Charter, Vancouver, BC
• WWU Psych Fest, 2023, Main Stage, The Vacant Seat: Intergenerational Needs in LGBTQ+ Communities
• WWU Psych Fest, 2022, Poster Session, Willingness to Help: How Gender Modifies our Helping Behavior

• Leadership 101, Winter 2024, Dr. Holly Diaz, This GUR class is designed to introduce college undergrad students to the wider pedagogy of leadership studies. I work hard in this role to provide inspiring examples of leadership across all gender, economic, and racial identities.
• Psychology 305, Fall 2023 and Winter 2024, Dr. Kate McLean, This class is designed to acclimate college undergrad students to professional, scientific reading and writing skills. Role included co-teaching, grading, and providing timely feedback. Also provided 1:1 coaching to strengthen key research skills including guiding students on how to find scholarly sources and refining their research inquiry to ensure high quality results.

Hope4Recovery, Group Facilitator, 11/2021 - ongoing. Facilitate weekly, online, support groups for survivors of intimate partner violence. Hold space and discuss a range of topics related to healing and support. Meet in groups or one on one, over Zoom, with survivors who need extra support throughout the week. Developed the organization’s first support group for Trans and No-Binary-identified survivors.

Bellingham Queer Collective Board Member, 12/2023 - ongoing. Meet monthly to discuss progress on the organization's mission and goals. This is an active board position so I also volunteer as a program manager of Generations of Pride, a collective effort between PFLAG Whatcom, LGBTQ+ Western, BQC, and others who hope to develop intergenerational connections within Bellingham's LGBTQ+ community. 

2015-2019, Guest speaker on Seattle School Board panels advocating for a return of hands-on shop classes in the Seattle School Districts. Invited to speak students in the classroom about post-high school apprenticeship opportunities in the building trades. Actively performed outreach and recruited women, many of them single mothers and domestic assault survivors, into the shipyard trades. Securing them paid apprenticeships and jobs which boosted their skills and earning potential. Hosted a booth at Washington Women in Trades annual recruitment show, providing hands-on welding demonstrations to young women aged 14-20. Received Workplace Leader Award in 2017 for advancing the positions of women and other marginalized groups in a shipyard setting.

• Hope4Recovery, 10/2021, Group Facilitator for Survivors of Trauma and Intimate Partner Violence, 20
• Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center, 10/2020, Interest-Based Mediation Training, 40
• Everett Community College, Summer 2018, Project Management Professional: People, Process, Risk Management, 40
• Foster School of Business, UW, Spring 2018, Negotiating for Success