Meet Allison
Allison believes that creating spaces where children feel genuinely seen, valued, and understood is the key to making the world a better place… For over 20 years, she's worked with schools, healthcare providers, non-profits and children's media companies to build spaces of genuine belonging. She brings joy and humor to even the most challenging conversations about conflict, trauma, and bridging differences—making tough topics engaging while maintaining their important depth.
Allison grew up in Hawaii and was one of a handful of Black students to graduate from Punahou before 2000 (yes, the same high school as Barack Obama). This experience shaped her world view and her understanding of connecting across differences, racial identity (it’s complicated), and whether you should wear shoes in the house (no).
Just in case you were wondering if she’s legit... She is a complete nerd and loves to bring science to complex problems. Allison has served as a tenured professor, director of mental health programs within health care systems, facilitator and an organizational consultant. She’s developed her own consultancy—Soft River Consulting P.C. Allison earned her PhD in clinical psychology from UC Berkeley and specialized in trauma and ethnic minority mental health at UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital. And before that she earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard University, with an emphasis on social psychology and child development.
Currently, she serves as the Diversity Lead of Student Life at the University of Washington and as a Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, where she focuses on the science of connecting across our differences (aka how to talk to people you can’t stand). She maintains psychology licenses in both California and Washington, where she keeps a small clinical practice focused on trauma survivors and children (though it's currently full).
Allison lives in Seattle with her partner and three kids. Storm, her Boston Terrier, is glad they left California because he’s allergic to sunlight (and protein).
