Our Team

Julie started out in mental health at a hospital working with people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) while doing her MA in Counseling Psychology at WMU. After graduating, she continued working with people with SPMI and began working with folks with anxiety, trauma, and substance use disorders in a rural community mental health setting. 

Julie moved to private practice in Kalamazoo in 2018 where she gained more experience with individuals with anxiety and trauma disorders. During that time, she obtained specialized training in ACT from workshops, conferences, and other training opportunities. She was also trained in prolonged exposure (PE) for trauma at the University of Pennsylvania Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at a workshop run by the creator of PE. She is currently training in compassion-focused therapy (CFT).

Julie is passionate about social justice, advocacy, and connecting with people. She values courage, friendship, and compassion.

email Julie: juliecarbajal@kalamazooact.com

David (he/him/his) received his Master’s degree in clinical psychology from Western Michigan University. He started his career working as an intern at InterACT of Michigan on their dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) team. He has 5 years of experience working within the community mental health system and has worked in a private practice setting since 2015. He has since moved to working in private-practice full-time, providing evidence-based therapies for a variety of clients with severe and persistent mental illness. 

Since moving to the Kalamazoo ACT team, David is now focusing on providing three evidence-based therapies. These include Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) for a variety of problems including depression and anxiety, Prolonged-Exposure (PE) Therapy for individuals who have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and Radically-Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT) for individuals who struggle with problems of excessive self-control. David specializes in working with adults who are suffering with problems related to mood and anxiety disorders. He also strives to help individuals looking to become more emotionally vulnerable in their close relationships and who would benefit from learning to be more flexible and open-minded.

David strives to create an atmosphere of acceptance and respect for clients regardless of a client’s unique background or identity. All are welcome, regardless of their racial, cultural, sexual, or gender identity. 

email David: davidlawrence@kalamazooact.com

Lissa Perkins is a licensed clinical psychologist who graduated from  California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego. Lissa  specializes in using evidence-based treatments to help clients suffering  from the effects of trauma in their daily life.

Experiencing trauma is not a sign of weakness; it is a normal change in how brain is  working. Because the brain can change, the traumatic impacts on us can  be healed.

EMDR therapy is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the  brain. For many clients, EMDR therapy can be completed in fewer sessions  than other psychotherapies. Unlike other therapies, EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue or completing homework between sessions. EMDR therapy, along with focusing on the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors  resulting from the distressing issue, allows the brain to resume its  natural healing process.

As  well as working with client who have experience traumatic events, Lissa  has extensive experience in working with clients with chronic health  conditions.  Chronic health conditions such as migraines, fibromyalgia, IBS, chronic fatigue, and pelvic pain syndromes are  real and “not just in your head”. Real medical conditions can be  worsened by daily stress and strong emotions. Lissa works  compassionately with clients to make positive changes that are often  long-standing and have seemed impossible to change. Rather than learning  to just “manage” your pain or illness, Lissa will work with you to  resolve current conflicts and past traumas. Using EMDR and other  techniques you can learn to safely experience and express feelings while  balancing assertiveness and good boundaries.

Lissa loves to learn, laugh and spend time with family and friends. When not at work you might see her running a 5K, singing, dancing and learning to do improv comedy.

email Lissa: lissaperkins@kalamazooact.com