ConsulTATION & Supervision
Consultation & Supervision
I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and a Washington State Approved Supervisor. I provide clinical supervision to Associates and consultation to licensed providers. I especially like working with clinicians who are interested in expanding their expertise in working with families impacted by substance use disorders and serious mental illness.
If you are looking for on-going supervision or a brief consultation, I would love to hear from you. Contact Lara Okoloko →
For my own continued development as a supervisor, I participate in monthly consultation and mentorship in feminist supervision. As a clinician, I participate in skills coaching and in multiple peer consult groups. As a member of my community, I have continued to invest in my understanding of anti-racism for over twenty years.
My clinical background includes case management, medical social work, group facilitation and individual and family counseling. I have experience in the fields of addiction, individual and family therapy, group facilitation, case management, homelessness services, and pregnant and parenting women.
As a clinical social worker, I am drawn to therapy approaches that seek to empower, are strengths-based, and help us understand people within their socio-political-community context. I believe that a clinical social worker needs to simultaneously work for the well being of the individual client and to challenge the oppressive and unjust systems that harm our clients.
I served as a Practicum Instructor for the UW School of Social Work from 2008 to 2015 and have been teaching part-time in their MSW program since 2015. I have served as a mentor for new social workers through the Washington State Society for Clinical Social Workers and served on their board as the chair of the Professional Development committee and as Interim President.
In addition to private supervision, I enjoy hosting group consultation and leading training workshops on different aspects of family addiction work. I am an approved CEU provider through the WSSCSW and the NASW.
“Lara is an incredibly knowledgeable and engaging speaker—the students were enthralled and identified Lara, at the end of the quarter, as a favorite speaker.”
– DR. ROBERSON, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
“Lara offered an exceptional presentation for our clinical staff. She has that hard-to-find combination of extensive, current knowledge and an engaging personal style – plus a knack for visuals that make information meaningful and memorable.”
– ERIC STROO, PROFESSIONAL TRAINING COORDINATOR, SAMARITAN CENTER OF PUGET SOUND
Recent presentations
ADAI, Seattle: Including family and friends in MOUD care
KUOW Radio: Unpack the Story, the Seattle Overdose Crisis panel discussion
Smith College, School of Social Work
Continuing education training: Contagious Stigma
Verdant Wellness Center, Lynnwood
Continuing education training: Solution Focused Brief Therapy
Community training
Innovative approaches working with family addiction
September 2023
August 2022
April 2021
October 2020
May 2018
Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association
Guest speaker: Speaking with your Kids about Drug and Alcohol Use
March 2018 &
September 2019
Native Youth Communities of CARE Conference, Olympia WA
Presenting on, “Connection for Prevention”
March 2015
Verdant Wellness Center, Lynnwood
What if my Teen Smokes Marijuana? Community info night for Parents
February 2015
Milestones Ranch Treatment Center, Malibu, California
Speaker: Evidence-based practices with families of addicted people
February 2015
Samaritan Center of Puget Sound
Guest trainer for staff development event
January 2014
Northwest ATTC
Continuing education training: Intro to CRAFT
May 2016
UW School of Nursing Conference
Presenting on “Adolescence in the Age of Marijuana Reform”
October 2013
Puget Sound Adlerian Society, First Friday Forum
Presenting on “Adolescents and Marijuana Legalization”
July 2013
Al Jazeera's "The Stream"
Guest commentator: “High Stakes for Marijuana”
April 2013
National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI) Conference
Presenting on, “Drug use trends, signs of use and prevention”
October 2011