Our Team

Kara Kalin

  • A recognized thought leader and compassionate advocate in the field of mental health, Kara Kalin brings a rare blend of lived experience, clinical expertise, and visionary leadership.

    As a former national-level athlete and coach for the Canadian National Team, Kara understands the mental strain of performing under pressure. Her shift into mental health was born from that firsthand knowledge—recognizing how unprocessed stress can quietly erode even the strongest among us.

    Now a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Certified EMDR Therapist, Kara is deeply committed to supporting those facing intense personal and professional demands. Through Shift Change, she offers a groundbreaking model of anonymous, neuroscience-backed care—making it possible for anyone to process stress and trauma without needing to speak a word.

    Kara’s work is transforming how we understand healing: early, effective, and accessible. Her leadership ensures Shift Change is not just a service—but a movement.

  • Jessica Tietjen is a powerhouse in organizational leadership, talent strategy, and people development — a leader who has spent her career turning potential into performance and burnout into breakthrough. As Founder and CEO of Evolving to Exceptional, she partners with Shift Change as a Strategic Partner, bringing brain-based, transformational solutions to leaders, teams, and organizations ready to prioritize well-being alongside business results.

    With a background spanning HR, Legal, IT, Marketing, and Operations, Jessica spent more than a decade building award-winning workplace strategies that foster high performance and people-first cultures. Her leadership at Experitec helped drive a 20% increase in revenue, a 28% productivity gain, and a 19% reduction in turnover — earning national recognition through three Gallup Global Exceptional Workplace Awards, three Brandon Hall Awards, and multiple Gallup Greatest Manager nominations.Jessica’s approach is rooted in deep expertise and a guiding belief: that people should one day look back on their lives and say, “I lived a great life — and my work was a part of it.” That purpose fuels both her business and her partnership with Shift Change.

    A Gallup-certified leader with top strengths in Communication, Maximizer, Ideation, Input, and Strategic, Jessica supports individuals and organizations in building self-awareness, resilience, and performance capabilities. Her work transcends traditional training — offering transformational development that accelerates personal and professional growth.

    As an author, speaker, and thought leader, Jessica shares insights on emotional intelligence, burnout recovery, and sustainable excellence. Her unique blend of legal acumen and human-centered leadership makes her a trusted advisor to executives and teams navigating change, overload, and disconnection.

    At Shift Change, Jessica helps organizations move beyond surface-level wellness initiatives toward real, lasting transformation. Together, they are proving that well-being and performance aren’t trade-offs — they’re the future of exceptional work and exceptional lives.

Jessica Tietjen

Susan (Susie) Sidsworth

  • Susan “Susie” Sidsworth is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and EMDR-trained therapist with over a decade of experience guiding individuals through emotional healing and trauma resolution. As a Shift Maker and Therapist at Shift Change, Susie supports clients through EMDR therapy that helps them reprocess trauma, regulate their nervous systems, and build lasting emotional resilience — both individually and in group sessions.

    With training in EMDR, trauma-informed care, and somatic integration, Susie delivers both ASSYST and IGTP protocols with compassion and clarity. She is known for her grounding presence and intuitive support, helping clients navigate difficult emotional material while maintaining psychological safety and pacing.

    Her career includes more than 10 years in the public healthcare system, working with individuals facing stress, trauma, relational struggles, and substance use. That experience shapes her work today — blending clinical rigor with a warm, human-centered approach.

    Susie also brings a unique lens to high-stress professions, particularly among first responders. As the spouse of a frontline worker, she understands the invisible emotional burdens that come with trauma-exposed roles. This lived insight allows her to deeply support those navigating burnout, compassion fatigue, and identity-based stress — both personally and within workplace systems.

    At Shift Change, Susie is a key contributor to the group EMDR model, corporate wellness programs, and individual trauma therapy. Her work reflects the Shift Change promise: to offer mental health care that is transformational, research-backed, and deeply human.

*BC Local Therapist - Book with Susie

Cheryl Stumpf

*Out of provide provider. Can be booked if paying directly without insurance. Book with Cheryl

  • Cheryl Stumpf is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified EMDR Therapist, and Certified Yoga Teacher with over 30 years of experience in the mental health field. As a Shift Maker and Therapist at Shift Change, Cheryl brings both deep professional expertise and heartfelt humanity to every session — helping clients heal trauma, regulate their nervous systems, and reconnect with their inner strength.

    Cheryl’s therapeutic philosophy is grounded in the belief that healing happens when people are supported in uncovering the answers already within them. She serves as a compassionate guide — helping clients move from stories of hopelessness into new narratives of empowerment and possibility.

    Her practice integrates advanced EMDR therapy with somatic and spiritual elements, using tools like ASSYST and IGTP protocols, breathwork, grounding, and yoga-informed practices. This whole-person approach supports healing at the level of body, mind, and spirit — and creates space for clients to feel seen, safe, and supported.

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cheryl served with the Boston Trauma Relief Network, offering EMDR-based early intervention to frontline healthcare workers facing vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. She has also contributed to humanitarian efforts supporting the development of EMDR therapists in Ethiopia — a project that continues to shape her commitment to global, accessible trauma care.

    Over her career, Cheryl has provided individual, couples, group, and family therapy across inpatient hospitals, outpatient clinics, intensive outpatient programs, and university counseling centers. She holds a BS in Psychology from York College of PA, an MS in Clinical Psychology from Millersville University, and a Certification in Marriage and Family Therapy from Temple University.

    A passionate community leader, Cheryl is the founder of Girls on the Run of Central PA, a volunteer coach, and a member of the Selinsgrove Area Rotary Club. She also serves on the National Advisory Board for CARE (Child and Adolescent Research and Education) and advises several university student organizations.

    At Shift Change, Cheryl leads EMDR group sessions, facilitates one-on-one trauma processing, and contributes to workplace healing initiatives. Her work reflects Shift Change’s mission: to make healing accessible, heart-led, and grounded in the neuroscience of transformation.

Claire Skillen

  • Claire Skillen, MBA, MACP, B.Sc. CHR, PROSCI, RCC Qualifying is an EMDR-trained therapist with a passion for mental wellness. As a Shift Maker and Therapist at Shift Change, Claire supports clients through EMDR therapy that helps them reprocess trauma, regulate their nervous systems, and build lasting emotional resilience, both individually and in group sessions.

    With training in EMDR, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Suicide Intervention Training (ASSIST), and Internal Family Systems, Claire currently delivers ASSIST and IGTP protocols with compassion and clarity. She is known for her intuitive, collaborative, grounding presence in addition to creating psychological and felt safety in sessions to support clients in addressing past and present adverse experiences. Her career spans over 20 years in the public, private, and not-for-profit domains, encompassing roles in healthcare, the Coast Guard, BC Wildfire Management, frontline work with low-income communities, and advocacy work for women in STEM. She has worked with individuals facing stress, trauma, relational struggles, substance use, and chronic illness. Blending systems thinking and organizational change with training and experience in counseling, she takes a collaborative, human-centered, and existential approach to her work with clients.

    Claire brings a range of perspectives from her professional journey into her work, including fieldwork, experience in paramilitary environments, frontline work with marginalized communities, community development projects, a history of competitive sports, and over 10 years in the consulting and technology sector. This lived insight allows her to deeply support those navigating burnout, compassion fatigue, and identity-based stress — both personally and within workplace systems.

    At Shift Change, Claire is a key contributor to the group EMDR model, corporate wellness programs, and individual trauma therapy. Her work reflects the Shift Change promise: to offer mental health care that is transformational, research-backed, and deeply human.

*BC Local Therapist - Book with Claire

Kamila Gach

  • Kamila is the organizational backbone at Shift Change, keeping operations running smoothly and efficiently. With a keen eye for detail and a calm, solutions-focused approach, she supports the CEO and wider team in everything from scheduling and communication to systems management and project coordination.

    Kamila brings heart and structure to the day-to-day, making sure nothing falls through the cracks!