Jaqui R. Otto, Ph.D.
Dr. Otto is a Licensed Psychologist and owner of The Oak Inside. She launched The Oak Inside in 2016 with the express purpose of providing accessible, thorough, high quality evaluation and evidence-based counseling services to the North Texas area. .
She has her Bachelors Degree from Texas A&M University and her Masters and Ph.D from The University of Utah in Educational Psychology with emphasis in neuropsychological evaluation and behavioral intervention. She completed her Clinical Internship at Father Flanagan’s Boystown in Omaha, Nebraska. Dissertation research was on behavioral social skills instruction and parent training
She is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Texas and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and has 19 years of experience in private practice and public/private school settings. Dr. Otto specializes in psychological, neuropsychological, and educational evaluations for children and adolescents. She works from a strengths-based perspective helping families understand the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional factors that impact daily functioning and believes that from this understanding families can learn how to celebrate and encourage their child’s strengths while using those strengths to build up and accommodate areas of challenge. Dr. Otto provides therapy to children and adolescents with a focus on problem-solving and skills building for daily life. She has a special interest in helping children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders improve their social competence through evidence-based social skills instruction.
Kate Stark, Ph.D.
Dr. Kate Stark is a Licensed Psychologist and Licensed Specialist in School Psychology with a background in providing assessment and therapy for a variety of complex developmental, academic, and psychological concerns. Dr. Stark earned her Bachelor’s from Texas A&M University and a master’s and PhD in Educational Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin. She completed her predoctoral internship at Lewisville Independent School District, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Children’s Hospital Colorado in the Neuropsychiatric Special Care program. She has specialized training in dual diagnoses, particularly in working with individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities (ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability) who have comorbid psychiatric concerns with mood, anxiety, or trauma history. She has experience in a variety of settings, including schools, community mental health, outpatient clinics, and hospitals. She provides individual and family therapy using a variety of evidence-based therapy modalities and focuses on a compassionate, solution-oriented, and strengths-based approach.
Cathleen “Cat” Kimmel, LPC
Cat is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas, working with adolescents and adults who are trying to figure out their unique role in this chaotic world. She has experience working with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, grief/loss, anger management, relationship issues and difficult life adjustments.
Cat earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Baylor University and her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Saint Edward’s University. She has worked in a variety of settings over the past seven years, including in a psychiatric inpatient facility, several PHP/IOP facilities and in an individual outpatient therapy setting.
Using a mixture of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and other evidence-based treatment methods, she will work collaboratively with her clients to ensure that their treatment goals are met. Cat meets people where they are, through a person-centered approach, so that they are able to be true to themselves and their values, while finding the happiness that they deserve.
Heather Forte, MSW, LCSW- Clinical Administrator
Heather studied at the University of North Texas where she earned her bachelor’s degree in social work. Following her undergraduate studies, Heather went on to complete her master’s degree in social work with advanced standing at The University of Texas at Arlington. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with current licensing in the state of Florida.
Her clinical background is in helping patients with crisis stabilization, emergency mental health care, geriatric psychiatric care, and adolescent psychiatric care up to and including serving as a clinician for outpatient care.
In addition to working in the mental health care field, Heather also spent nearly twenty years working for insurance providers including Value Options and Medicaid of Texas and North Carolina. She has vast amounts of experience in billing, insurance claims, and managed care, and she can help our patients with all of their insurance and financial needs. Her knowledge of both mental health care and managed health services uniquely positions Heather to assist our patients.
Outside of the office, Heather is the proud mother of three children. Her family also has a small menagerie that includes one dog, one cat, and seven fish! She and her family seem to always end up spending their vacations having fun at Disney World.
Leonard “Coach” Shelby, LPC
JOINING APRIL 2020
Len is a Licensed Professional Counselor, serving adults, children, and teens. Len provides counseling for adults and teens who are experiencing depression, anxiety, and the inability to control their anger and the myriad of relationship issues we all encounter at some point in our living this “daily” life. Coach works with men of all ages helping them navigate major life transitions, setbacks, and issues that challenge every man in each stage of life. He works with couples using a solution-focused approach while honoring the pain and struggle we all experience in our marriages. Len is a trained Symbis Premarital Counselor and collaborates with churches who desire a faith-based approach to marital and premarital counseling.
Len received his bachelor’s degree from Rice University where he was a four-year letterman and All-Conference and All-American catcher. He received his masters from Lubbock Christian University in school counseling and completed his internship hours through Harding University. He worked with Ascent, a mental health agency in Memphis, TN while completing his clinical hours of supervision for LPC licensure. Len has received training in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), both evidenced based approaches for working with complex trauma.
Coach spent twenty-five years as a Texas High School football and baseball coach before deciding to pursue a second half career as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Because of Len’s background as a player and coach, he has experience working with student-athletes who are struggling with performance anxiety and other mental health issues that athletes are struggling within our performance-based culture today.
Treatment Groups
- Adults
- Couples
- Men (Ages 18 – 65+)
- Teens
- Preteens
- Families (Solution Focused Approach)
(817) 492-5105 | contactus@theoakinside.com