Dr. Kirkpatrick holds a Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from Ryokan College and a Masters degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Chapman University. She currently has a private practice (License# MFC 40537) in which she sees adolescents, individuals, couples, groups, and families. She specializes in abuse and trauma recovery, crisis issues, dissociative disorders (including Multiple personalities), self-injury, parenting/co-parenting, and Christian counseling. She also supervises Marriage and Family Therapist Interns in this practice. She developed “Strength-based Parenting” which is approved by the Riverside County courts for mandated parenting and is Co-author of the book, The Authentic Parent: Developing your natural gifts to become the parent you always wanted to be.

She is the Clinical Supervisor at Oasis Rehabilitation Center and The Harmony Center Full Service Partnership for Transitional Age Youth located in Indio, Ca. She is also on the desert region’s Trauma Response Team (and served as the Trauma Response Coordinator for 3 years) which responds to natural disasters and other crisis situations, locally, regionally, and across the United States. She served for 8 years, twice as President, on the board of directors of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), Desert Chapter, and recently received the 2009 Chapter Leadership Award from CAMFT.

Dr. Kirkpatrick has been associated with the mental health field in different capacities for over 19 years. In this time, she has worked with severe mental illness with Riverside County Mental Health, developmentally delayed individuals, church-based counseling programs, and in-school-based counseling programs. She has facilitated many different

types of groups including chemical dependency, Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA), Al-ANON, co-dependency, Adults Molested as Children (AMAC), parenting and co-parenting, adolescent anger management, adolescent chemical dependency, domestic violence/anger management, and parent perpetrators.

Dr. Kirkpatrick also gives back to the community in several ways. She provides psychotherapy on a sliding scale, pro bono services where she can, and discounts to veterans and college students. She has provided “in-services” and made educational presentations (e.g., parenting, assessment of psychosis, trauma treatment, dissociative disorders, crisis issues, etc.) to schools, other organizations, and to interns, free of charge.

As the COO she serves as the “Clinical Director” of the All-Desert Wellness Centers. She is primarily responsible to carry out the strategic plans and policies as established

by the Board of Directors, and in that capacity reports to the Board of Directors. She advises the Board, advocates for and promotes the organization and its mission, and motivates employees regarding the Center’s programs and operations.  She oversees all clinical issues, employees, interns, and the management of programs and services. Additionally, Dr. Kirkpatrick evaluates the skills of professional and support positions and assesses their potential capability to perform the functions that the job or the organization requires. 

As the Clinical Director she also ensures that staff and the Board have sufficient and up-to-date information; looks to the future for change opportunities; interfaces between the Board and employees; and interfaces between the organization and the community.  She formulates policies and planning recommendations to the Board and decides or guides courses of action in operations by staff.  In general, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the All-Desert Wellness Centers and implements Center plans.  Finally, she assists in the selection and evaluation of board members and makes recommendations and supports the Board during orientation and self-evaluation.