Kara Lemke, PhD, Licensed Psychologist
Owner & Director of Healthy Minds
17 years of clinical experience
Dr. Lemke developed a passion for advocating for children’s needs early on in her career. She focuses on identifying individual strengths in each child and using those strengths to bolster challenges. Through her work at Healthy Minds, as owner and psychologist, Dr. Lemke is focused on giving children a voice by learning their individual skills, helping their parents or caregivers in obtaining necessary support, and ensuring children are as successful as they can be as they grow and develop into successful adults. Through a warm and collaborative approach, Dr. Lemke uses integrative therapy when supporting children and their families. She often implements components of cognitive-behavior therapy, behavior therapy, family systems therapy, and narrative therapy.
Inspired By
Dr. Lemke is motivated by the children and teens she works with. She finds it inspiring to connect with them and support them in finding their voice and helping them advocate for themselves. Dr. Lemke focuses on developing rapport with her clients through positive interactions and transparency. She spends time during therapy and assessment sessions engaging with children and teens so they feel comfortable with the process and goals.
Specialties
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Developmental Concerns
Neurodivergent Affirming
Executive Functioning
Gender Affirming
Learning Differences
Behavioral Difficulties
Depression
Attention
Anxiety
Specialized Training
Assessment of Children/Adolescents
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Executive Functioning
Behavior Therapy
CBT
Michelle Garcia Winner’s Social Thinking
Assessment using the ADOS-2
Parent/Child Interaction Therapy
Social Skills Groups
Family Systems Therapy
Tell Me More!
Early in her career, Dr. Lemke developed a passion for working with children. She saw so many who were unable to advocate for themselves and have their needs met early in life. This drew her to this career and goal to help children and teens reach their full potential. She believes all children should have the opportunity to express their emotions openly and safely and she works to create those opportunities for her clients.
When Dr. Lemke is not supporting children and families at Healthy Minds, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their three children. Dr. Lemke can be found hiking, exercising, playing with her children, reading, cooking, and baking.
Dr. Lemke’s Picks
Everyone finds inspiration in different ways, so I encourage parents to seek support in a variety of forms so they can find what inspires them. I recently finished reading Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy. She shares a lot of similar strategies and approaches that I believe in and teach in my work with children and families.
In addition to spending time with my family, I enjoy cooking and baking in my free time. During the pandemic I joined the sourdough bread craze and have spent a lot of time perfecting my bread recipe. I also enjoy being outside, hiking, play games with my kids, camping and gardening.
Background
Dr. Kara Lemke is a licensed psychologist with 10+ years of experience supporting children and families in diverse clinical and community settings. She has worked with young children, school age children, adolescents, young adults, and their families.
Dr. Lemke obtained her undergraduate degrees in Psychology (BA) and Biology (BS) at University of California, San Diego. She attended Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University (PAU) where she earned her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Lemke also completed specialized training in evaluation and treatment of children. While completing her doctorate degree at PAU, Dr. Lemke provided treatment to children and families while working at Edgewood Center for Children and Families in San Francisco. She also provided assessment and treatment to adults and children at the Gronowski Clinic in Los Altos while also working as a Clinic Manager.
Dr. Lemke completed her pre-doctoral internship at Children’s Hospital and Research Center at Oakland in the Behavioral Pediatrics and Early Childhood Mental Health Clinics and her postdoctoral fellowship at Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto, CA. Through her work in these settings, Dr. Lemke has worked collaboratively with a variety of other professionals including medical doctors, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, education specialists, teachers, and advocates. This approach has allowed Dr. Lemke to support the whole child rather than just focusing on one part of their life.
Education
Undergraduate degrees in Psychology (BA) & Biology (BS) from University of California, San Diego
MA & PhD in Clinical Psychology from Pacific Graduate School of Psychology at Palo Alto University (PAU)
Pre-doctoral internship at Children’s Hospital & Research Center, Oakland, in the Behavioral Pediatrics & Early Childhood Mental Health Clinics
Post-doctoral fellowship at Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto, CA