I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker at Kuehnel Psychological Services, PLLC, with fifteen years of experience providing therapeutic support to children, adolescents, adults, and families across a diverse range of clinical settings. After taking a brief, intentional period away from my practice to focus on my own growing family, I am absolutely delighted to return to the clinical team at KPS with a renewed dedication to supporting children and their caregivers. My professional passion has always been centered on enhancing the overall quality of children’s lives, which includes strengthening their foundational relationships within the family unit, and I look forward to partnering with you and your child.
My educational journey began at Boston University, where I earned my undergraduate degree in psychology, which immediately led to impactful foundational work within a foster care agency. This experience inspired me to pursue my Master of Social Work at Simmons University, where I specialized my clinical training on the complex impacts of trauma on children and families through intensive internships within both elementary school settings and emergency psychiatric service providers. Through my extensive background in emergency mental health services and experience with narrative therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and developmentally appropriate play therapy, I now work collaboratively with each unique client to identify and tailor the specific therapeutic approach that will be most beneficial and supportive for their individual growth.
On a personal note, as a parent of two young children, I understand firsthand the joys and challenges of family life. In our free time, my husband and I love to explore the outdoors with our kids by hiking and kayaking, as well as engaging in creative family art projects together.
Dr. Kuehnel translates best practices into meaningful strategies for parents and students. Her expertise and deep understanding of complex learning profiles drive the day-to-day interventions that improve overall functioning for families. With the big picture in mind, Dr. Kuehnel can break down the skills your child needs into manageable steps to support lasting change.
Educational Advocate
Dr. Kuehnel attended my daughter’s special education eligibility meeting and everyone at the IEP table remarked how helpful Dr. Kuehnel’s report was in understanding our daughter and how to support her. When I shared the report with our pediatrician, she said it was the best and most thorough one she had ever seen!
Neuropsych Client
The testing is very thorough, and the comprehensive reports Dr. Ballou provided to our family were very detailed and easy to follow. Our behavioral health team at our pediatrician’s office and our IEP teams at school have also commented many times about how professional and helpful the comprehensive reports have been. It has assisted our family in developing appropriate action plans to help our children become the best version of themselves.
Neuropsych Client
Carolyn conducted a school observation as part of my daughter’s assessment, which was so impactful! My child’s presentation is particularly nuanced and Dr. Kuehnel was able to detect and highlight her struggles that were going under the radar. Her carefully synthesized observation report, combined with her very thorough and thoughtful formal report of my child’s presentation, proved critical in helping the public school system see our daughter’s needs.
School Observation Client
The report is a work of art! So beautifully captures our son and I think will be really helpful, most importantly for our understanding of him as a learner, but also over the next year as he prepares for high school. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Neuropsych Client
I cannot thank you enough for your presentation last evening. It was informative, engaging, and useful for the targeted audience. We had SEPAC members from three different towns represented in our small group last night, so I would definitely call it a success.
SEPAC Board Member
Thank you so much for sharing her neuropsychological report. We are beyond grateful for the time, care, and expertise that went into this evaluation. The report is incredibly comprehensive and provides a deep and thoughtful understanding of her unique learning profile. Your report not only affirms many of the strengths and challenges we have observed, but also offers new insights that will be instrumental as we move forward in planning the most effective supports for her.
Neuropsych Client
I thought you did a great job conveying the testing results combined with direct observations to help us understand what we are dealing with. We sincerely appreciate your diligence and efforts!
Neuropsych Client
I just wanted to tell you that we had the meeting to determine eligibility and the Team agreed that he should get services! We will be putting together the IEP in the next couple of days. We can’t tell you how relieved we are! Your excellent, thorough report had a lot to do with it. Thank you so much!!!
Neuropsych Client