Kealoha
Psychology, Inc.
California Licensed Psychologist: PSY - 31266
Hawaii Licensed Psychologist: PSY - 1487
(Inactive)
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About Dr. Kealoha
Dr. Chanel Kealoha is a Clinical Psychologist who has dedicated her career to improving the lives of children and their 'ohana (families). She has held licenses in California, Washington, and Hawaii. She brings more than 15 years of experience completing comprehensive Psychological Evaluations, providing IEP/IEE support, supporting accommodation requests, developing state-level clinical programs and policies, providing family crisis intervention services, and overseeing behavioral support plans for use in school, home, medical, and other settings. Dr. Kealoha received intensive training in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders that begin in childhood such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Intellectual Disabilities, and other Neurodevelopmental Disorders. She holds current faculty appointments as Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Pepperdine University's Master’s and Doctorate programs and Point Loma Nazarene University's Master’s program.
Dr. Kealoha received a full academic scholarship to the University of Southern California before obtaining Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. She completed doctoral internships at the UCLA Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) before completing a post-doctoral fellowship at the Kapiolani Medical Center/Hawaii Pacific Health, where she received specialized training in the assessment and treatment of childhood trauma in the family system. As a Clinical Psychologist II at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego, Dr. Kealoha provided Psychological Evaluation and Therapeutic services to patients at the Developmental Evaluations Clinic and Autism Discovery Institute. Notably, Dr. Kealoha has served as the Lead Psychologist for state Developmental Disability Divisions, where she founded and ran statewide crisis intervention teams and developed policies to reduce the use of restrictive interventions and increase community integration. She also carries her strengths-based approach into her sessions, where she emphasizes the unique interests and abilities of each individual - as opposed to focusing solely on diagnosis and symptom reduction.
Being born and raised in Hawai’i has had a tremendous impact on Dr. Kealoha’s personal and professional interests. Professionally, she has an ardent interest in culturally sensitive and client-centered care. Through her research, Dr. Kealoha has sought to improve the relevance of mental health care and education for indigenous communities, and her research on an alternative treatment for depression was published in an internationally recognized medical journal. Dr. Kealoha also places immense importance on interpersonal relationships and giving back to her community, both personally and professionally. In her free time, she has volunteered at intellectual and developmental disabilities summits and surf camps for youth with developmental disabilities. She coached middle and high school basketball - leading her teams to state championship tournaments - and mentored at-risk students, all while continuing to teach individuals of all ages to express themselves through the art of hula and Polynesian dance, which Dr. Kealoha has toured the world performing both professionally and competitively.