Lara Waldman

Training-focused crisis counseling experience covering principles of crisis counseling, emergency services interventions, and counselor wellness. Developing readiness for non-judgmental, trauma-informed chat/text support with warm-handoff awareness.

Serve as the first staff point of contact for families at drop-off and communicate in Spanish with a 99% Spanish-speaking family base. De-escalate daily child tantrums and peer conflicts across an infant room and pre-K classroom using positive reinforcement, time-out, and guided breathing.

Supported a team of 7 sales representatives by running routes, taking orders, and refreshing in-store brand displays across 10+ priority accounts during reps’ absences. Delivered bilingual customer service across a 50% Spanish/50% English base, resolving an average of one customer issue per week through relationship-driven problem-solving.

Provided bilingual service in a high-volume restaurant, supporting 25–50 weekday and 50–75 weekend customers per shift and often acting as the only Spanish-speaking server on the floor. Trained 5–6 new servers and de-escalated repeated customer complaints using an apology-first, validate-then-resolve approach.

Conducted structured deception-detection interviews with participants in English and Spanish under the PI, rotating across interviewer, data-entry, and confederate roles. Performed SPSS data entry and coding after administering informed consent procedures and trained incoming research assistants on protocol and SPSS procedures.

Provided bilingual meal service to residents experiencing homelessness, supporting dignity-focused, person-centered interactions. Delivered consistent hospitality-style assistance in a high-need setting.

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Florida International University, with a Dean's List honor.

Associate in Arts in Psychology from Miami Dade College.