Karen welcomes Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker for part one of their conversation on the impact of race and culture on attachment security. Part two will be released Tuesday, October 29th at noon Eastern.

Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker has worked in the mental health field for over a decade, and is currently a licensed psychologist in Colorado. Dr. Wirta-Leiker carefully and thoughtfully chose “Beyond Words” as the name of her practice because she believed therapeutic relationships our built on a foundation of trust and collaboration that goes beyond language to a place of genuine understanding.

Dr. Wirta-Leiker currently sits on the Colorado Post-Adoption Resource Center’s (COPARC) Advisory Board and Heritage Camp for Adoptive Families (HCAF) Adult Adoptee Advisory Board. She has professional training in individual, family, and group counseling, specialized trauma therapy (EMDR I & II: Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing), play therapy, TBRI techniques, Theraplay techniques, parent education, and psychological assessment. She received her Doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology (Psy.D.) from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado; Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology (M.A.) from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky; and Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (B.S.) from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.