Ms. Keisel leads a diverse team in both the provision of direct trauma-conscious and person-centered services for individuals and communities impacted by interpersonal trauma while overseeing national and global capacity strengthening efforts to build trauma-specific care. She works at the local, national and global level to ensure individuals, organizations, and communities have the necessary tools to build empowered lives in the aftermath of traumatic events.
Ms. Keisel has over fifteen years of experience working in the anti-trafficking field in direct services within the United States, Latin America, West Africa and South Asia. Prior to founding Sanar, she served as the Director of Polaris New Jersey working to expand comprehensive services for individuals impacted by all forms of human trafficking. Ms. Keisel has also worked in Central Mexico supporting individuals impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, and exploitation.
Ms. Keisel holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies with a focus on human rights in Latin America and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work with a focus on complex trauma. She holds post-graduate training certificates in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Trauma-Sensitive Yoga and has participated in training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, and Sensory-Based Modalities.
Ms. Keisel’s work is informed by her own lived experience with complex trauma healing, clinical training, and years of working with hundreds of individuals on their own healing journey. She believes that every individual should have the opportunity to heal in their own way, at their own pace, and have access to the resources that foster resilience, inspire hope, and allow each person to build a life of their choosing.