Hello! My name is Krista Gould and I am in the process of receiving my masters of Social Work (MSW) at the University of Washington. I am a Southern California beach girl born and raised, so being outside is something I have always enjoyed. I found my niche for working with youth and young adults during my year off between my undergraduate degree in psychology to my masters program. I worked as an outreach instructor and taught people of all ages about marine biology. I specifically taught tide pool and whale classes. There I was immersed in lower income communities in Los Angeles and saw the need for these people to have access to the outdoors and specifically the ocean. When I looked through social work programs I wanted to choose a school that had an area where I could get experience in outdoor therapy for trauma related issues. In the end I found the University of Washington.
In my free time I enjoy spending time with my two dogs. We day hike on weekends and enjoy long walks in the city parks during the week. I also played softball during my undergrad so now I play on a slow pitch Sunday softball league.
I will be interning at ROP for the remainder of the year and plan on contributing my skills in working with youth, young adults, and their families. I have been working with youth for about six years now and have focused my career goals on trauma. I hope to fine-tune my existing skills and I look forward to gaining so many more during my internship here at ROP.