How CEO Tara Chalakani, PsyD ’20, helped lead a change that reduced turnover in a behavioral health nonprofit—and earned a doctorate in the process.
Most people will experience trauma in their lifetime, and the effects of trauma linger, even at work. Healthcare professionals—especially those in behavioral health—often experience vicarious trauma in their work from exposure to the experiences of their patients.
One response from organizations is to take a trauma-informed approach to how they care for patients and their employees. It’s about acknowledging people’s trauma and being sensitive to the impact it has on them.
Tara Chalakani, PsyD ’20, puts it this way: Trauma-informed care is about no longer asking “what’s wrong with someone,” and instead asking “what has happened to them.” It’s about understanding that healthcare workers must prioritize their wellbeing and self-care because “you can’t pour from an empty cup.”
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In 2018, the nonprofit Dr. Chalakani now leads as CEO, Preferred Behavioral Health Group, adopted a trauma-informed care approach. The transition became the research subject for her Doctor of Psychology in Behavioral Health Leadership at Walden University, “Employee Resistance to Change During the Implementation of Trauma-Informed Care.”
Leading Effective Change Management
Dr. Chalakani says the success of transformative change comes down to preparation and communication.
“Prior to this rollout, there was a tremendous amount of research done by me and the change team,” she says. “But it really starts with communication. We started a year or more in advance with casual conversation and working it into newsletters and meetings, kind of like the way movies have previews.”
Preferred Behavioral Health Group also brought in outside experts and conducted numerous trainings.
“Once we reached our destination, it wasn’t a shock,” she says. “Everyone was prepared.”
Earning a Leadership Doctorate
“My higher education journey was not linear by any stretch of the imagination,” she says. “All of my degrees were acquired while working full time, raising a family, being married, and running a household.”
Dr. Chalakani’s psychotherapist role didn’t require a doctorate. Her master’s degree helped credential her to work as a licensed professional counselor in New Jersey. However, she wanted to deepen her knowledge of psychology and develop her skills in leadership, strategic planning, and fiscal operations. That led her to Walden’s flexible online program.
“My education at Walden was stellar. I was able to synthesize what I was learning in real time in my career even before I graduated,” she adds. “But I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It was not easy. It was really hard work obtaining my doctoral degree.
“If you have the thought in your mind and a yearning in your heart to advance your education, do it. Because when you are educated, no one can take that away from you.”
Walden University ranks No. 1 in granting research doctoral degrees in Psychology.
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