Kristen Emanuel Rawls

Kristen Rawls
  • Doctoral Student, DSW Program
  • LSCSW

Contact Info

Biography —

Kristen Rawls is a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker (LSCSW). He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas, with double majors in history and art, and a Master of Social Work from KU.

Rawls currently works as a clinical therapist at Life Stance Health in Lawrence, Kansas. In that role, Rawls provides mental health therapy. Some of the methodologies he uses include, but are not limited to, Strengths Perspective Approach, Cognitive Behavioral, Solution-Focused, Narrative, etc.

Rawls previously worked many positions in the mental health field before becoming a therapist. He spent time working as a case manager, behavioral health specialist, and a psychosocial group leader.

Research —

Practice and Research Focus Areas

Rawls has the most experience in providing mental health services and interventions to adolescents in rural communities. His research is primarily focused on designing a social inclusion framework for disconnected rural youth in the U.S.

DSW Capstone Project

Capstone project title: Bridging the Gap: Utilizing European Social Inclusion Programs to Address Social Exclusion Among Disconnected Rural Youth in the U.S.

Capstone project description: This capstone project, Bridging the Gap, explores how successful international social inclusion models — like Europe’s Youth Guarantee — can be adapted to support disconnected rural youth in the U.S. Grounded in translational and implementation science, it aims to design a broad framework that promotes social inclusion by applying proven global strategies to the unique challenges of rural America.

Awards & Honors —

  • Segal Award Recipient (2015)
  • Segal Award Recipient (2016)
  • MARGO Award Nominee (2019)
  • Integrated Health Scholar (2018-2019)

Memberships —

NASW member