Kara Wahlin
Palm Desert,CA
Summary
Adept at getting to the root of problems and helping patients develop effective coping skills for different life situations, triggers and traumas. Well-versed in collaborating with teams of practitioners to positively impact patient lives with a comprehensive approach.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Clinician
Kara Wahlin Counseling Services
Palm Desert
08.2019 - Current
- Developed and implemented individualized treatment plans to meet the needs of clients.
- Coordinated referrals with external providers when needed for additional services.
- Maintained accurate client records and documentation according to agency policy and procedures.
- Determined most appropriate treatment plan and implemented course of action.
- Assessed patient symptoms, histories, current concerns and responses to questions in order to develop clear picture of current mental health.
- Performed risk assessment evaluations for suicidal or homicidal ideation among clients.
- Engaged in ethical decision making processes when determining best course of action for clients.
- Facilitated group therapy sessions focused on various topics such as coping skills, anger management, and grief counseling.
- Provided crisis intervention services in a timely manner to ensure safety of clients.
- Provided psycho-educational support to families by educating them about their loved one's diagnosis and treatment plan.
- Conducted initial assessments, including mental status exams, to determine appropriate level of care for clients.
- Attended professional development workshops and seminars related to clinical practice areas such as trauma informed care or evidence based practices.
OWNER/OPERATOR
WWW.NICUHEALING.COM
PALM DESERT
01.2014 - Current
- Built and maintains clinical website designed to provide support for parents and families coping with the NICU experience
- Writes and manages a blog detailing ways of coping in the NICU and after discharge
- Provide tips and resources for parents coping with trauma, anxiety, depression, attachment issues or relationship challenges due to a challenging birth experience and the hospitalization of a child
- Provides a remote, eight week clinical support program to parents and couples needing guidance and containment after having gone through the hospitalization of their premature or medically-complex babies in the NICU
- Provides psychoeducational and trauma-informed support groups to nurses working in the NICU environment, incorporating art therapy and the most innovative research available
- Writes guest blogs for Hand to Hold and NICU Central in an effort to spread awareness of the clinical issues NICU parents face
- Manages a private practice office in Palm Desert, CA
- Provides services to clients ranging from adolescent youth to the elderly, with the goal of empowering clients to move forward with their lives with intention and self-confidence.
CLINICIAN
ANKA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS REHABILITATION TREATMENT FACILITY
INDIO
01.2015 - 01.2018
- Conduct evaluations and assessments for all intakes at a 15 bed facility crisis treatment program
- Conduct group therapy 2x daily, including groups around trauma, symptoms management, identifying triggers, art therapy, psychoeducation, and learning basic self-care skills
- Meet with clients individually on an as-needed basis
- Assist in developing a treatment plan for clients upon their completion of the program
- Interact with various local agencies/referral sources in order to create the most optimal plan of action for each individual client.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR/MANAGER
DAYBREAK
REDWOOD CITY
01.2008 - 01.2011
- Strengths-based transitional living program for homeless youth aged 16-24
- Managed staff, conducted staff meetings and developed policy
- Maintained the physical safety of the household
- Worked as a therapist with roughly half of the clients; developed treatment plans, and coordinated group therapy
- Trained staff in strengths-based therapy and youth development theory
- Oversaw the outreach, intake and assessment process for prospective clients
- Interacted with other agencies to appropriately place clients who needed a higher level of care
- Acted as liaison between the program and its parent agency, StarVista.
MFTI/CHILDCARE COUNSELOR
PROVIDENCE PLACE
SAN DIEGO
01.2007 - 01.2008
- Transitional living program in which women were reunited with their children after release from the prison system
- Co-managed the childcare facility, working with children ranging from infancy to 14 years old
- Oversaw the developmental progress of the youth, developed play and art therapy interventions as needed
- Worked with women and families to help process this transition.
MFTI
CALIFORNIA FAMILY COUNSELING CENTER
LOS ANGELES
01.2005 - 01.2006
- Low-fee counseling center serving the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles
- Provided therapeutic services to children, teens, adults and families
- Underwent intensive training in narrative therapy and utilized these skills in sessions with clients.
MFTI/ART THERAPIST TRAINEE
FLORENCE CRITTENTON CENTER
LOS ANGELES
01.2004 - 01.2005
- A residential high school serving foster care youth, adolescent girls involved in the criminal justice system, and teen mothers
- Provided individual and group therapy to the clients
- Participated in staff meetings and helped to develop treatment plans
- Helped the young women to process the closure of this program when its funding was cut and they had to be relocated.
NICU PARENT SUPPORT GROUP FACILITATOR
YWCA OF THE SILICON VALLEY
SAN JOSE
01.2013
- Developed 8-week support groups for parents with a baby in the NICU, utilizing trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches
- Created informational worksheets aimed at empowering parents with a baby hospitalized in the NICU
- Pitched the groups at area NICUs and implemented the groups at Good Samaritan Hospital of San Jose
- Coordinated with hospital social workers to make the support groups optimal for parents
- Developed scrapbooks designed specifically for preemies and distributed them to parents.
MFTI/ART THERAPIST TRAINEE
OPICA ADULT DAY CARE CENTER
LOS ANGELES
01.2006
- Daycare facility for clients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or dementia (at varying stages)
- Co-facilitated art therapy groups
- Worked individually with clients as well as their families using art therapy interventions.
Education
M.A. Marriage and Family Therapy, Art Therapy -
PHILLIPS GRADUATE INSTITUTE
01.2006
B.A. College of Creative Studies Literature -
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA
01.2002
Skills
- Evidence-Based Practice
- Treatment Planning
- Records Management
- Diagnostic Abilities
- Clinical Documentation
- Direct Patient Care
- HIPAA
- Patient Education
- Treatment Determination
- Managing Patient Cases
Personal Information
License: MFT lic. 53003
Publications
- Externalizing the Unspeakable, 2006, My master's thesis: an art therapy program designed for therapists working with adolescent girls who practice self-harm behavior.
- Memory and Art, 2008, Collaborated with Robin Bush Vance to write a chapter about the brain's memory systems and how they operate while creating art.
Timeline
Clinician
Kara Wahlin Counseling Services
08.2019 - Current
CLINICIAN
ANKA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS REHABILITATION TREATMENT FACILITY
01.2015 - 01.2018
OWNER/OPERATOR
WWW.NICUHEALING.COM
01.2014 - Current
NICU PARENT SUPPORT GROUP FACILITATOR
YWCA OF THE SILICON VALLEY
01.2013
PROGRAM COORDINATOR/MANAGER
DAYBREAK
01.2008 - 01.2011
MFTI/CHILDCARE COUNSELOR
PROVIDENCE PLACE
01.2007 - 01.2008
MFTI/ART THERAPIST TRAINEE
OPICA ADULT DAY CARE CENTER
01.2006
MFTI
CALIFORNIA FAMILY COUNSELING CENTER
01.2005 - 01.2006
MFTI/ART THERAPIST TRAINEE
FLORENCE CRITTENTON CENTER
01.2004 - 01.2005
M.A. Marriage and Family Therapy, Art Therapy -
PHILLIPS GRADUATE INSTITUTE
B.A. College of Creative Studies Literature -
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA
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