Maranda MacDonald
Lake Forest,CA
Summary
Spiritual and creative Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (CA BBS Verification Pending) with 900+ practicum hours (600+ direct client contact) across individual, couples, family, child, and group work. Trained in an experiential, body-based framework — somatic, IFS/parts work, expressive arts, equine-assisted, and spiritually integrative — with experience treating trauma and complex trauma, mood and anxiety disorders, self-harm and suicidal ideation, substance use, dissociative disorders, and psychosis. Comfortable with high-acuity presentations and skilled at building alliance with clients who have not responded to traditional talk therapy.
Overview
1
1
year of professional experience
Work History
Therapist Trainee
Walk Intuit, Inc.
Costa Mesa, CA
06.2025 - Current
- Accrued 900+ total practicum hours, including 600+ hours of direct client contact across individual, couples, family, child, and group formats.
- Provided experiential and somatic psychotherapy integrating Internal Family Systems (parts work), expressive arts, sand tray therapy, bilateral stimulation, equine-assisted therapy, and spiritually integrative approaches.
- Co-facilitated an equine-assisted therapy group and facilitated an experiential grief processing group, managing group safety, containment, and processing of activated material.
- Treated a full-spectrum caseload: acute and complex trauma (PTSD, C-PTSD), major depression, anxiety disorders, self-harm and suicidal ideation, substance use, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and dissociative disorders.
- Conducted intake assessments, formulated treatment plans, and maintained timely clinical documentation in TherapyNotes in accordance with BBS and agency standards.
- Completed ongoing risk assessment and safety planning for clients presenting with suicidal ideation and self-harm; coordinated with supervisors on escalation and higher levels of care.
- Received weekly individual and group clinical supervision; presented cases and integrated feedback into treatment planning.
Education
Master of Arts - Clinical Psychology
Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA06-2026
Master of Arts - Philosophy
Cal State University, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA11-2023
Bachelor of Arts - Philosophy
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA06-2022
Skills
- Modalities: Depth-Oriented; Experiential Therapy (IFS/parts work, Sand Tray, Expressive Arts); Somatic/Body-Based; Bilateral Stimulation; Existential/Humanistic; Spiritually/Philosophically Integrative; Eco/Nature-Based; Equine-assisted
- Clinical competencies: Intake and biopsychosocial assessment; Treatment planning; Suicide risk assessment and safety planning; Group facilitation; Crisis intervention; Clinical documentation; Mandated reporting
- Populations: Adults, couples, families, children and adolescents; trauma and complex trauma; anxiety and mood disorders; grief and loss; life transitions
- Technology: TherapyNotes (EHR); Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Gmail, Calendar); Microsoft Word; Telehealth platforms
Timeline
Therapist Trainee
Walk Intuit, Inc.
06.2025 - Current
Master of Arts - Clinical Psychology
Pepperdine University
Master of Arts - Philosophy
Cal State University, Los Angeles
Bachelor of Arts - Philosophy
University of California, Irvine