About Dr. Karin Coles
Registered Psychologist
Specializations
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Learning Ability
- Anxiety/Depression
- ADHD and Executive Functioning
- Giftedness
- Supervision and Consultation
Education, Research, and Training
Dr. Karin Coles is a licensed and registered psychologist. A former teacher and school principal with 20 years experience in Calgary school systems, Dr. Karin also brings to her work with clients’ expertise in working with diverse learners in the areas of assessment, advocacy, program development, mentorship, curriculum development, teaching, and learning. She has worked in multidisciplinary practices, private practice, and as a consultant for schools within the Calgary area.
A lifelong learner, Dr. Karin has an extensive educational background achieving multiple degrees since 1989. Dr. Karin has a Bachelor of Education degree, with a specialized diploma in Early Childhood Education. She obtained her Master of Arts degree with a specialization in curriculum and assessment in 1999. Her M.A. thesis explored the role of relationships in the reading development of young children. During this time, Dr. Karin also completed certification as a trained Early Reading Intervention teacher. In 2012, she completed a Master of Science degree with a specialization in educational psychology. In 2014, Karin completed her Ph.D. in psychology. Her doctoral research focused on the development of academic self-efficacy beliefs for individuals with identified learning disabilities.
Dr. Karin has completed additional certifications in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2), and the Autism Diagnostic Inventory-Revised (ADI-R).
Experience
Clinically, Dr. Karin works with individuals and their families to provide comprehensive assessments with expertise in learning disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, social/emotional functioning, and giftedness. Dr. Karin also works to advocate, create, and contribute towards the development of responsive individual program plans for diverse learners. Working collaboratively with colleagues, Dr. Coles supports clients to access recommended therapeutic interventions and/or programs. In the areas of counselling, Dr. Karin provides services to children, adolescents, and emerging adults in the areas of anxiety, depression, self-efficacy beliefs, and executive function.
Dr. Karin is also the Program Director for City University of Seattle, within the School of Health and Social Sciences in the Master of Counselling program. Dr. Karin brings to this work her experience in educational systems, teaching and learning, and mental health in support of graduate students pursuing a career in counselling. In addition to her work at CityUniversity, Dr. Karin also teaches for Mount Royal University in the continuing education program. Dr. Karin provides direct instruction in courses such as counselling theories, ethics, assessment, qualitative research, child and adolescent counselling, capstone research projects, children’s mental health studies, and independent learning studies.
Complimenting her roles as a clinician and educator, Dr. Karin also consults with professionals and students. She has volunteered for the Psychologists Association of Alberta (PAA) serving as a committee member for the School Psychology Committee as well as on the committee developing an evaluation protocol. Dr. Karin has provided supervision for colleagues adding assessment to their areas of competency, for provisional psychologists, and works collaboratively providing consultation with colleagues providing supervision for interns and associates.
