Karla Zavala joined Mountaineer Athletics in July 2024 as a fellow in the Clinical and Sport Psychology unit working directly with West Virginia University student-athletes.
The clinical and sport psychology unit provides counseling and performance enhancement services, clinical services, including short-term individual counseling, group counseling crisis intervention services, psychoeducation workshops, risk assessment and reduction intervention for all student-athletes. The unit also serves as an instructional and educational role to promote the areas of student-athlete health, resilience, and wellness.
She recently earned her master’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in social work and is deeply passionate about mental health, particularly supporting individuals through their most challenging moments.
Prior to WVU, she worked at a clinic providing individual and group mental health and substance use services to American Indian/Alaska Native populations with complex needs.
Additionally, she spent two years as a graduate assistant at Nebraska-Omaha, where she supported undergraduate and graduate social work students. Zavala also earned her bachelor’s degree from Nebraska-Omaha in social work in 2022, graduating summa cum laude.
Presently, Karla is eager to leverage her professional background in mental health, as well as her personal experience as an athlete, having competed in gymnastics for 10 years as well as track and cross country.
She is currently licensed through the West Virginia Board of Social Work and possesses membership in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).
Zavala resides in Morgantown.
