Shelia Clark, Ph.D.

Shelia Clark, Ph.D. Quick Facts

Shelia Clark, Ph.D., dual-licensed Marriage-Family Therapist and Clinical Psychologist, founded a mental health charity (www.cfcninc.org) for the underserved in 1996.  Dr. Clark empowers disadvantaged individuals and families to take control of their destiny and realize their dreams, using concepts of positive psychology.  Her own Native American heritage adds to her understanding the clients' socioeconomic needs.

Through seminars, she raises public awareness about the needs of at-risk community members.  Dr. Clark uses theater to develop play therapy and theatrical programs.  Clients experience the unique combination of positive psychology, drama, creativity, and play, with resolution of life traumas. 

She founded the Center of the World Festival, a project to resolve conflict and encourage positive community dialogue.  This is an amateur playwright competition, with themes of peaceful co-existence between humankind and nature, held in Pine Mountain Club, CA, a mountain village surrounded by a National Forest.  The goal of positive psychology is enriched by natural beauty, four-seasons, star-studded nights, clean air and pure spring water.  The village sits at the base of Mt. Pinos, known as the Chumash Native American's "center of the world," where all things are in balance, a spiritual influence that adds to positive psychology.  For more information, see:  www.centeroftheworldfestival.org

Her most recent endeavor is the creation of an on-line approach to combining personal growth learning with positive psychology.  She views her new venture as being most appropriate for the "mature" creative person, who can self-direct with assistive guidance.   For more information, see: 

 www.on-linepersonalgrowthtraining.org

Other professional credentials: 

As a Forensic Evaluator, she has over 25 years experience in behavioral health treatment issues of the injured worker, and has  served as a Q.M.E. (Qualified Medical Examiner) for the California Workers Compensation system and as a Disability Evaluator for the State of California.  Her research articles on the cultural aspects of the injured Hispanic worker have been published in the Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling and in Psychological Reports.

Her dedication to helping the medically underserved is demonstrated daily in her commitment to directing California Family Counseling Network, Inc., (CFCN) a charitable nonprofit which she founded in 1996 to bring quality and affordable mental health services to this needy population.  In 2008, she received the U.S. Presidential Lifetime Volunteer Service Award, for recognition of the vast amount of donated professional time given to this population.

CFCN is an Authorized American Red Cross Provider, under which Dr. Clark is a Red Cross Authorized Instructor.  She provides Disaster training to her local community, as well as training in Family Caregiving.  She also recruits and trains fellow mental health professionals to serve on the American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Team.   Her contributions to her rural community were acknowledged by a recent Federal award from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) NHSC program.

Dr. Clark's high standards of accountability are reflected by her volunteer service as a past Oral Examiner for the California Board of Behavioral Science.  She supports the standards of evidenced-based practices and was a Field Test Try-Out Clinician for the re-norming on the Vineland (2001), the K-ABC (2000), and the CASL (1997) assessment batteries.

Today, she continues an active treatment practice, which encompasses all ages and most categories of mental health issues, developmental delays, learning disabilities,  as well as individual and family perspectives.  

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