Karla Castro-Soto

Karla Castro-Soto provides direct services to families and caregivers seeking help for their child’s substance use or addiction. and supports clinical staff through supervision, on-call support, training and onboarding. In addition, Karla leads the organization’s quality assurance program that monitors and seeks to improve direct care being provided.

Prior to joining the Partnership, Karla worked in a range of direct service settings such as the Community Support Services, Outpatient Psychiatric team at Bellevue Hospital Center and the Mental Health Association of NYC, supporting families struggling with both mental health and substance use issues. She is experienced in crisis intervention, working with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the New York State HOPEline and the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. She has also worked in outpatient care as a therapist in community mental health psychiatric settings.

She obtained her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy in 2009 and Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with a double minor in Spanish and Latin American and Caribbean studies. Karla is also Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) certified. She is fully bilingual and much of her professional focus has centered on using her bilingual and bicultural skills to serve Spanish-speaking families. Karla is particularly interested in how evidence-based modalities in both the mental health and addiction arenas can be adapted successfully for work with the Spanish-speaking community.