OUR TEAM
Independently female owned and operated, based in the Columbia River Gorge
Kallie Kurtz LCSW/LICSW
CONVENOR, DESIGNER, and LEAD CLINICIAN
A Bit About Me
​​Born and raised in Alaska and now based in the Pacific Northwest, Kallie brings the same curiosity, resilience, and respect for the human experience that the wilderness taught her into every aspect of her professional practice. Her approach bridges the personal and the systemic, emphasizing that healing happens not only within individuals, but within the communities and environments that surround them.
Professional Experience
June 2025 - April 2026
June 2025 - April 2026
July 2024 - May 2025
January 2023 - June 2024
January 2023 - June 2024
January 2023 - June 2024
January 2023 - June 2024
Senior Policy Analyst
State of Washington Department of Health for Prevention and Community Health
Served on the WAListens Task Force with the Attorney General’s Office
Community Prevention Director
Washington Gorge Action Programs
COVID-19 Vaccine Planning & Response Lead
COVID-19 Guidance & External Affairs Specialist
State of Washington Department of Health
Violence Prevention Program Supervisor
Multnomah County Public Health Department
Teen Services & At-Risk Youth Outreach Coordinator
City of Portland
Youth Games for Change & Global Envision Contributor
MercyCorps
Outdoor Leader & Guide
Various organizations & universities in Alaska and the PNW
Kallie's recent speaking and training engagements:
Kallie's upcoming speaking engagements and links to register:
CLINICAL SPECIALTIES
Kallie specializes in working with individuals navigating trauma, PTSD, ADHD, anxiety and other high-stress or high-demand environments, helping clients understand and regulate their nervous systems, rebuild safety, and cultivate resilience. Her approach is rooted in neuroscience and recognizes how experience, biology, and environment shape both behavior and healing.
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She integrates evidence-based modalities including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment Theory, and Solution-Focused Therapy, along with bilateral stimulation techniques to support trauma processing, nervous system regulation, and integration. treatment is tailored to meet the client where they are, blending structure with flexibility to create sustainable, meaningful change.
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Her style is collaborative, practical, and deeply compassionate grounded in neuroscience, shaped by social context, informed by lived experience, and rooted in the belief that healing occurs when people feel safe, understood, and empowered.
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Kallie frequently works with:
First responders, healthcare professionals, and veterans
managing trauma, burnout,
and moral injury
Individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, or adjustment challenges
while navigating the challenges, demands, and inequities of our social context,
daily life, and major life transitions
Individuals with ADHD
focusing on psychoeducation,
emotional regulation, and executive functioning through a strengths based and compassionate lens
Outdoor professionals and adventurers
navigating risk, loss, and resilience in
high-risk environments
Survivors of complex trauma, abuse, and coercive control
seeking to rebuild autonomy, safety,
and self-trust
LGBTQ+ community members
seeking gender-affirming care , acceptance, and support
COLLABORATION, CONSULTING,
SPEAKING, & TRAINING SPECIALTIES
Kallie provides consultation, training, and collaboration for organizations, agencies, and leaders seeking to strengthen their approach to behavioral health, trauma-informed care, and crisis response. With experience spanning clinical practice, emergency departments, community health, outdoor leadership and statewide behavioral health and public health policy, she bridges the worlds of systems design, direct service, and lived human experience.
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Her consulting and collaboration work focuses on:
Trauma-informed system design and workforce wellbeing
across healthcare, education, outdoor, & community programs
Understanding and responding to trauma-related behaviors
including aggression, violence, &
emotional dysregulation through a lens of safety, accountability, & care
Behavioral health considerations in policy and program development
ensuring that systems, laws, & protocols are informed by trauma science and grounded in compassion
Behavioral health integration
within both public & community
health systems
Crisis response and postvention planning
for organizations navigating suicide, overdose, violence, & other critical incidents
Cross-sector collaboration in wilderness medicine, high-stress work environments,
& community-based settings
to strengthen collective resilience, behavioral health knowledge,
& trauma response
As a speaker and educator, Kallie is known for her ability to make complex behavioral health and trauma concepts accessible, evidence-based, and deeply human.
She regularly presents at national and regional conferences in behavioral health, wilderness medicine, and community leadership, where she explores topics such as:
The neuroscience of stress, fear, and recovery
Behavioral health considerations in
violence prevention and crisis response
Behavioral health
in the backcountry
Trauma, grief, and loss across clinical, organizational, and outdoor settings
Leadership and accountability in trauma-exposed systems
Behavioral health in high-risk and high-stress environments
Building trauma-informed and culturally responsive systems of care
Her trainings and workshops weave together clinical insight, neuroscience, systems design, and collaborative practice, equipping participants to navigate behavioral health, trauma, resilience, and complexity with clarity and compassion. Whether facilitating policy reform, consulting on crisis protocols, or leading cross-sector trainings, Kallie’s work helps organizations and communities grow more responsive, understanding, grounded, and humane.
Kallie is always excited about collaborating! If you have an idea please don't hesitate to reach out using the form linked below, and she'll be happy to connect with you :
Topics Kallie Can Speak On
The Neuroscience of Fear
Why your brain both
loves and hates risk
PTSD, Anxiety, and the Adrenaline Junkie
The fine line between
thrill and trauma
Trauma and the Outdoors
How nature heals -
and when it doesn't
Loss in the Outdoors
Processing deaths, accidents, and suicides in adventure culture
Crisis Response in the Backcountry
Mental health first aid for guides, leaders, and friends
The Power of the Outdoors as a Tool in Addressing Trauma and Behavioral Health
Kallie's Clinical Grants:
Kallie is on the board of directors.
Kallie runs the PNW Progression program.
Check out the following articles to learn more about Diversify Whitewater:
Providence Healthcare Systems
Current
Social Workers on the Front Lines of the Opioid Epidemic
National Council on Mental Wellbeing
2021