Dr. Kara Harrison grew up in Lexington, Kentucky. She loved horses. After graduating high school, she pursued a B.A. in Psychology at the University of Kentucky—and still loved horses. She married (human, not horse, we promise), and raised a family, but of course—horses! While doing all these things, she also owned and operated a horse farm centered on breeding, showing, and racing Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods in Central Kentucky. She received her M.S. (2019) and Psy.D. (2022) in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Kentucky University, and surprise! Horses factored into that work too, since her dissertation focused on Equine Assisted Psychotherapy for treating trauma related disorders.
Dr. Harrison currently serves as the unit psychologist for the Comprehensive Services and Specialty Services Programs at Western State Hospital. She provides psychological services and consultation to treatment teams regarding the evaluation, assessment, and treatment planning of chronically ill individuals with long-term histories of serious mental illness. Dr. Harrison also provides routine mental health court evaluations and testimony regarding current mental status, treatment planning, guardianship, and competency concerns. Dr. Harrison’s typical case load includes adults between early adulthood and their elderly years. Her cases often represent not only individuals with SMI but those with co-occurring Developmental Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, and varying types and stages of Dementia or Traumatic Brain Injuries. She hasn’t totally figured out how to bring horses and equine therapy onto campus and into the hospital. . .yet. Don’t underestimate her determination.
Dr. Harrison’s theoretical orientation is Cognitive Behavioral with a key regard for Trauma Informed Care and treatment protocols. She is trained in The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality and focused much of her previous training on providing a combination of these approaches to mental health care. Dr. Harrison is also a certified Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International riding instructor. She finds tremendous joy when integrating her equine skills with the nurturing process of healing others. She enjoys providing crisis stabilization care and individual psychotherapy, with a mindful view of a patient’s strength and value, in the face of chronically severe mental illness. Her current research interests and areas of desired professional growth include empirically based trauma treatment, suicidality/self-harm management, and how both impact inpatient hospitalizations and long-term outcomes. She is a passionate advocate for every individual’s right to demand quality mental healthcare, with standards comparable to our medical healthcare system.
When not working, Dr. Harrison enjoys reading, watching great movies, spending time with her children, goofing off with her friends and, I know you will be completely shocked by this—
going to the barn to play with horses! She is also a passionate water enthusiast and loves to swim and boat on Kentucky lakes.
“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man” W. Churchill
Philippians 4: 6-7 “Do not be anxious over anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your mental powers by means of Christ Jesus.”
