Associate Professor, LPC, SAC, CMHC Director of Training

I am a proud immigrant from the island of Trinidad and Tobago, a rescue dog mom, and an Ashtanga yoga student. While I love my work as an educator, researcher, and clinician, I also enjoy reading, time outdoors, contemplative practices, and craft as essential aspects of my self-care practices. Overall, I am curious about the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and how ethnic minority groups experience these interventions and improve their quality of life. I also want to know what does and does not work. I also have a special interest in Single Case Research Designs (SCRDs). As an educator, advisor, and supervisor, I use a wellness-based developmental approach while practicing cultural awareness. My approach to clinical work is holistic, collaborative, and grounded in DBT, somatic therapy, and mindfulness. I am passionate about helping individuals learn emotion regulation and coping skills through a culturally informed lens. As a researcher, I am mindful of the ways my research may impact the communities I interact with and approach research as a collaborative and empowering opportunity. I earned my PhD in counselor education from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi (CACREP), my master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling (addiction specialization) from University of Wisconsin-Stout, and my BSc in behavioral science (psychology emphasis, sociology minor) from Andrews University. I am licensed in Wisconsin as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Substance Abuse Counselor (SAC). You can learn more about me and my research on my website and on my Google Scholar page.

Dr. Callender will take on a new counseling psychology doctoral student for Fall 2025.

Recent Publications and/or Presentations

• Kriofske Mainella, A. M., Raval, G., Koziol, C., & Callender, K. A. (2023). Getting on the same page in multicultural counseling training. Counselor Education and Supervision, 1-13.
• Kriofske Mainella, A., Callender, K. A., & Laubacher, S. (2023). Sex education through the lifespan: Evaluating a pilot intervention for older adults in changing attitudes and comfort with sexuality. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education.
• Callender, K. A., Haktanir, A. (2023). Development of the counsellor personal wellness and professional wellbeing assessment. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling.
• Callender, K. A, Ong, L. Z., & Othman, E. H. (2022). Prayer and mindfulness in relation to mental health among first-generation immigrant and refugee Muslim women in the USA: An exploratory study. Journal of Religion and Health, 61, 3637-3654.
• Ong, L. & Callender, K. A., Blalock, K., & Holzbauer, J. (2021) Racial, Ethnic Differences in Complementary and Integrated Health Use among Adults with Mental Illness: Results from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey. Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 27(1), 50-73.
• Knox, S., Callender, K. A., Mak, T. W., Skaistis, S., & Knowlton, G. (2020). How graduate students or recent graduate psychotherapists experience and manage errors in psychotherapy. Counseling Psychology Quarterly.
• Callender, K. A., & Klassen-Bolding. (2020). “A force to be reckoned with”: College women’s experiences with the #MeToo movement. Journal of College Counseling, 23, 194-206.
• Haktanir, A., & Callender, K. A . (2020). Meta-analysis of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for treating substance use. Research on Education and Psychology, 4 (Special Issue), 74-87.
• Callender, K. A., Trustey, C., Alton, L., & Hao, Y. (2019). Single case evaluation of a mindfulness-based mobile application with a substance abuse counselor. Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation.
• Callender, K. A., & Lenz, A. S. (2018). Implications for wellness-based supervision and professional quality of life. Journal of Counseling and Development, 96, 436-448.