Mental Health

Biography

Kalyani Gopal is a keynote and international speaker and trainer on foster care and adoption, sex-trafficking, child sexual abuse, Autism and neurodevelopmental disorders, and psychopathology. She has trained foster parents, adoptive parents, administrators, judges, FBI, police officers, attorneys, case managers, nonprofits, and clergy on issues related to infants, children, adolescents and adults. She has coined the term "Displacement Trauma" to describe the complex trauma caused by frequent disruptions of attachment bonds. She is the bestselling author of "The Supportive Foster Parent", "Foster Parenting Step-by-Step", the grief and loss workbook "In My Heart" and workbook on child sexual abuse and co-editor of the upcoming Springer publication, “Sex Trafficking: Feminist and Transnational Perspectives.” She is on the boards of the Lake County Child Protection Team and Lake County Child Fatality Team, serves as the Chair for the Illinois Psychological Association’s Working Committee on Hate and Harassment, and the Chair of the IPA Women’s Section, served as President of Section IV, Division 12, American Psychological Association (2012-2014), and is currently serving on the Board of Directors, Society of Clinical Psychology, American Psychological Association. She is the President of Mid-America Psychological and Counseling Services, PC and manages seven mental health clinics in Indiana, Illinois, and Florida. Her nonprofit organization, Safe Coalition for Human Rights hosted SAFE 2014 in Chicago, SAFE 2016 in DC/VA, and will be hosting SAFE 2018 at the Palmer House, Hilton, Chicago, USA on Sept 2-5, 2018, bringing together organizations from around the globe working ceaselessly to form collaborative national and international coalitions from rescue to rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking and violations of human rights. In recognition of her work, Dr Gopal was awarded the Lake County Award for Excellence in 2004 and Indiana Attorney General’s Voices for Victims Award in 2015.

Research Interest

Sex-trafficking, child sexual abuse, Autism and neurodevelopmental disorders, and psychopathology