Ms Karla-Kai Stanley Social Worker

Karla-Kai is an experienced clinical social worker, with a history of working in area mental health, not for profits and service delivery/co-ordination. Here she supported people and their systems manage a variety of challenges, promoted self-determined recovery, and advocated for social inclusion. Karla-Kai has worked across the lifespan, with clients, carers, partners and with a variety of family systems. Working in partnership with people who are living with complex mental health concerns. Focusing on person lead therapy; allowing space for collaborative solutions and the optimisation of resources to support people to make their own positive and self-directed change. Karla-Kai draws from a variety of evidence-based interventions including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Sensory Modulation. Focusing on providing flexible treatment and fostering meaningful engagement. Karla-Kai, has a history of working for organisations servicing First Nation's people, people of colour, women, non-binary people, people who don't identify with the gender assigned at birth, people with diverse sexuality and people with disabilities. Karla-Kai acknowledges how ongoing systemic discrimination and exclusion impact the mental health of our most vulnerable; demanding they be also the most resilient. Accordingly, she knows that there is no absolute language or method that suits all. So, in the room Karla-Kai places value in being guided by an individual's preference, to enable a shared language, and identification of an individual's strengths. While outside the room she continues to advocate with passion and an unrelenting hope of a more just society. Karla-Kai is passionate about the pursuit of quality within social work practice, through professional development opportunities and ongoing certifications. Karla-Kai graduated from Deakin University with a Master of Social Work, from La Trobe / Bouverie Centre with a Graduate Certification in Family Therapy, and from The University of New England with a Bachelor of Psychological Science.