Intern Therapist Joins Cougar Family

andie cohen, staff writer

Hairmandir Khalsa joined the Campolindo staff as the new marriage and family therapy intern in January.

Khalsa is excited to be working on campus. “I’m really enjoying Campolindo: enjoying getting to know the students, and working in a school environment, and providing some support to the students,” she said.

Colleague Bonnie Willax, the school psychologist, said, “We do a lot of consulting together primarily. We consult about cases together; since I’m the psychologist and she’s an intern she may ask me for advice on case. We also talk about the different students she works with, treatment plans, and groups that we’re running together or that she’s running.”

“I think she’s great; I think she has strong clinical skills. She’s able to really see what what’s going on with a student and implement the right kind of treatment,” Willax added.

Khalsa was educated on the East Coast, earning a Masters of Science degree in counseling and applied educational psychology.

“I chose a master’s degree when I did, rather than a PhD, because I wanted to really get out there in the field and work sooner with a license. I was also working as a researcher as a time, so it fit with my work schedule,” she explained.

Khalsa was originally looking for an internship in the psychology department and landed a spot at Campolindo when the school posted a request for an intern. Khalsa was interested in working for a school district because she has 2 young children. Having a schedule that coincides with her children’s is extremely convenient.