About Karen
PhD. Marital & Family Therapy, Loma Linda University, CA
M.S. Marriage, Family & Child Counseling, California State Fullerton, CA
M.A. Christian Education, Biola University, CA
Licensed Couple and Family Therapist
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
Dr. Karen Quek is dual licensed: Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT# 40805) and Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC#287). Dr. Quek has a part-time private practice devoted to individuals and couples work. She provides mental health counseling and relationship therapy, specializing in couples’ dynamics, individuals-in-relationship, pre-marital & marital issues. She has great respect for cultural diversity. Dedicated to the improvement of treating individuals and couples in distress, she offers culturally and gender-sensitive approaches to therapy for greater effectiveness. She has extensive clinical experiences with individuals, couples, and families for over 20 years. Nationally and internationally, she has worked in various mental health settings including university & medical clinics, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and private practice.
Professor and Department Chair of MFT program
Dr. Quek is the department chair of the MFT program at California State University Dominguez Hills. She has been in academe for more than 15 years as an administrator and professor of MFT programs. She appreciates and respects cultural diversity, and is dedicated to the growth of the next generation of helping professionals. Her passion is to develop culturally competent professionals. Her research interest in the development of a healthy professional identity examines the intersection of multiple social locations (e.g. race, ethnicity, gender, etc.). Another research interest is the relational dynamic in couples’ relationship which examines the interplay of various diversity constructs in the context of evolving societal changes. Her innovative research reflects her expertise and interests in multicultural clinical work, cross-cultural family dynamics, and gender equality, and has resulted in numerous publications and research presentations, including these 2 co-authored books, Transition and Change in Collectivist Family Life: Strategies for Clinical Practice with Asian Americans (2017) and Intersectionality in Family Therapy Leadership: Professional Power, Personal Identities (2021). Her research data includes heterosexual couples from Greece, Singapore, the Philippines, USA; Korean fathers from Seoul, Korea. She is also passionate about issues on social justice, multiculturalism in supervision, and internationalism.
Approved Supervisor
Dr. Quek has achieved national “Approved Supervisor” status of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), the national professional organization for Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT). She meets the BBS requirements for clinical supervisor. She offers supervision to MFT/MHC registered interns who are accruing hours toward licensure and assists MFT professionals in their development as AAMFT approved supervisors.
Consultant and Trainer
Dr. Quek provides training workshops for people-helping professionals such as professional clinical counselors, social workers, marriage & family therapists, pastoral counselors, school counselors, etc. She is an authorized Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis (T-JTA) instructor, a certified administrator of the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator, and a PREPARE-ENRICH facilitator. These are some of the most widely used assessments for communication enhancement, individual development, team & couple relationship building, marital and premarital counseling and education. She is authorized to conduct and facilitate certification for those instruments. Other training workshops include team-building at the workplace, interpersonal communication & relationship building, employee counseling, volunteer management & development, and others.