Kara Schmitt, LCSW (she/her)
Kara Schmitt, LCSW (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years of clinical and leadership experience. She has a passion for supporting the development of early-career clinicians through relational reflective practice, skill-building, and ethical guidance.
Prior to her roles at Kaiser, Kara worked for 10 + years in community-based health clinics with an emphasis on improving health outcomes for communities. She was the Clinical Supervisor and Site Director of Santa Cruz Community Health Centers where she developed treatment pathways and programs while providing clinical and administrative supervision to staff members. She’s held various roles as a clinical therapist providing therapy services to individuals, couples and families. She has also facilitated several psychoeducational and support groups, including ACT for Valued Living, Managing Depression, Support through Grief and Loss, and Teen Life. She has supervised both pre- and post- Master’s trainees.
Some of the highlights of her career have been facilitating supervision groups for post-Masters Fellows, teaching mindfulness to middle and high schoolers throughout Oakland, presenting on Trauma-Informed approaches to legislators on Capitol Hill in Sacramento, developing new treatment tracks including Couples Treatment as part of the Program Development Committee for Kaiser Oakland, and presenting at the School-Based Health Centers Association National Conference in Washington, D.C. Her experiences have given her the opportunity to work with a diverse range of individuals, couples, and families. She is skilled in providing trauma-informed care and draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and attachment-based psychodynamic approaches. Kara is committed to culturally responsive and anti-oppressive clinical work and supervision.
Kara received a BA in Sociology and Community Studies from the University of California at Santa Cruz and her Master of Social Work (MSW) from California State East Bay in 2009.