Our Team

About Kayla

Kayla Ward
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

My work with people began during my college experience. There I met a wonderful woman whom I grew to trust deeply. The amount of growth I gained from working with her was just the start. During an internship, I experienced helping others firsthand as an on-call advocate. I wanted to be able to help on a deeper level. It solidified my calling to help people.

Everyone has the right to be happy, healthy, and live a life that is their own. Sometimes it takes asking the hard questions as a way of challenging yourself, getting a different perspective, gaining information, accepting, and trusting yourself, as well as getting past old barriers to allow you to feel confident in your own skin.

Through my work with children, families, and adults I have been able to witness great transformation from different kinds of people from all backgrounds. My focus has shifted through the various experiences I have had. Initially, children were not the group I thought I would enjoy working with, but through different trainings I have found passion for working with traumatized children. This passion includes those who are children at heart.

I earned my undergraduate degree at the College of Saint Benedicts followed by my Master of Arts from Saint Mary’s University. During my program, I interned at a residential treatment center for youth with severe and persistent mental illness and was hired as the in-home therapist following my graduation. This position transitioned into working in the locked unit where I had the privilege to work with what was deemed the most challenging population of children in the state. The last two and a half years of my career I have spent serving small communities in the St. Cloud area in a private practice setting.

When I take off my therapist hat, I love spending my time with family, furry family members, and friends. The farm is where I go to find peace and be in the presence of some pretty goofy creatures. I also enjoy the outdoors, watching hockey, singing in a choir, art, and theatre. When it is rainy or really cold, I love hanging out with those close to me watching a movie or playing a game. Winter holidays are my absolute favorite.

About Elisabeth

Elisabeth Wallen,
Licensed Teacher/ ASD certification

My name is Elisabeth Wallen. I lead the social skills groups here at Doctors Park Mental Health Center. I help teach children how to engage in social situations with confidence. Being in the educational world for the past fifteen years as a special education teacher, paraprofessional, and a parent volunteer has inspired me to help children on a social level. I specialize in working with children experiencing special learning disabilities, emotional and/or behavioral struggles, and those on the Autism Spectrum.

All children have substantial talents and each have the ability to tap into those gifts, given the opportunity, to aid in their development and growth as an individual. All children possess a variety of ways to learn and struggle when forced into the box some people believe they should adhere to. Through groups like these, we can break the box.