Hidden Gems: Meet Dr. Kristen Wheldon of Wheldon Psychological Services/ On Duty Psych

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Kristen Wheldon.

Hi Dr. Kristen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Northern California, spending much of my time in the Bay Area, with significant time also in the Central Valley and Sierra Mountains. As a young adult, I felt Southern California offered more professional opportunities and life experiences, so I made the move to Orange County. While pursuing my education, my postdoctoral studies and early career led me to California’s Central Coast. After transitioning from a career as a prison psychologist, I eventually settled in Pasadena, where I spent years commuting to downtown Los Angeles as a fire psychologist. Drawing on my diverse experiences, I later established a private practice focused on public service, which I’ve maintained ever since. Recently, I’ve expanded my work to support the film industry through entertainment psychology, recognizing that storytelling is deeply rooted in understanding the human mind.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As a woman in male-dominated industries, I have honed the ability to navigate environments where my voice and influence were initially marginalized.

I’ve also learned when to pivot and focus my time and energy into people, organizations, and causes that represent community, value authenticity, and allow me to contribute in meaningful ways. My time and energy is well spent.

When you participate in forward facing initiatives, you will run into people who spend more time and energy sabotaging others than contributing to meaningful dialogue or progress. I observe this phenomenon and am less distracted by that noise. With maturity, I’ve chosen to live intentionally and that requires the power to observe without reaction and instead choose a purposeful response.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Wheldon Psychological Services/ On Duty Psych?
Over the last decade, I have worked with incarcerated individuals, firefighters, emergency medical providers, law enforcement officers, and military populations. I have also had the opportunity to serve children and non minor dependents involved in foster care systems as well as individuals with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, as well as populations with a myriad of other clinical presentations. I routinely provide evaluation services to agencies who require preemployment and fitness psychological screenings as well as court systems looking to assess for the appropriateness of mental health diversion programs for individuals involved in the criminal justice system.

Since working in Los Angeles county, I’ve had the opportunity to work with high performance athletes, attorneys, and members of the film industry. In addition to assessment and therapy services, my practice offers creative consultation to film professionals looking to enhance their creative works by leveraging professional psychology in script development, acting support, psychological accuracy, mental health support, trauma risk management, and other specialized production services.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
While working in the jail and prison system, I was blessed with having access to psychologists who had the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to not only provide specialized support services to high risk populations but also had the specific interest and commitment in supporting my developmental process.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.entertainmentpsychologist.com, www.drwheldon.com
• LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/drwheldon