Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker: The Impact of Race & Culture on Attachment Security
Karen welcomes Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker for their two-part conversation on the impact of race and culture on attachment security.
Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker has worked in the mental health field for over a decade, and is currently a licensed psychologist in Colorado. Dr. Wirta-Leiker carefully and thoughtfully chose “Beyond Words” as the name of her practice because she believed therapeutic relationships our built on a foundation of trust and collaboration that goes beyond language to a place of genuine understanding.
Since taking her first psychology class in high school, Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker knew that this was the field in which she was meant to work. When the Columbine High School tragedy occurred so close to home, she became dedicated to working with youth and families who had experienced trauma, and this connected strongly with other areas she was passionate about: adoption and bullying. Dr. Wirta-Leiker was adopted from India as an infant, and understands firsthand what it's like to struggle with issues of race, identity, societal expectations, and family relationships – and after adopting a son from Ethiopia, her awareness of the multi-faceted and complex world of adoption grew.
Dr. Wirta-Leiker currently sits on the Colorado Post-Adoption Resource Center’s (COPARC) Advisory Board and Heritage Camp for Adoptive Families (HCAF) Adult Adoptee Advisory Board. She has professional training in individual, family, and group counseling, specialized trauma therapy (EMDR I & II: Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing), play therapy, TBRI techniques, Theraplay techniques, parent education, and psychological assessment. She received her Doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology (Psy.D.) from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado; Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology (M.A.) from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky; and Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (B.S.) from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.
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