Title 26 Guardian ad Litem biographies

22 years of experience working with clients in Social Services and Higher Education. Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Washington State University and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Warner Pacific College. Specialized Training in Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Physical and Psychiatric Disabilities, and Trauma Informed Case Management. Lifelong local resident with a large professional network of resources. Served as a youth program volunteer for over 10 years. Extensive experience dealing with families in crises and those living on the margins of society.

I’ve been a GAL for 16+ years.  I am trained in both Family Law (Title 26) and Dependency (Title 13) matters. I accept appointments in Cowlitz County as well as Lewis County.  I have been appointed in 200+ Family Law matters and thousands of Dependency cases during the past 16 years.  I have no disciplinary or founded negative actions and no criminal history.  I have been a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts for 5+ years and attend training yearly.

BS in Psychology, Portland State University 1990, 20 years GAL experience including Title 13 dependency cases since 2000 (400+ appointments in Cowlitz County), Title 26 Family Law matters since 2012 (150+ appointments in Cowlitz County); 500+ hours of training including, but not limited to, family dynamics, family conflict, child development, child safety, child abuse/neglect, substance use, domestic violence, mental health, ethics/bias, cultural diversity/sensitivity, visitation, parenting plans, etc.  I also provide professionally supervised visitation services and have since 2014. I am a Member of AFCC (Association of Family and Conciliation Courts) and WA-AFCC. 

For over 7 years I served as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), reporting to the court and speaking on behalf of abused and neglected children of all ages.

As an ordained pastor with Christian and Missionary Alliance (retired) I oversaw children's, women's, and family programs; I also did counseling with individuals and families in crisis.  I was a member of the Pacific Northwest District licensing and ordination body.  I served in this role for over 12 years.

I am a lifelong resident of Cowlitz County with wide-ranging interests.  I have taught private piano lessons, homeschooled my three children, and am a grandmother.  I am ready to bring my experience and skills to families in Cowlitz County as a newly appointed Guardian ad Litem.

My name is Heather Kahl. I am a Title 26 Guardian ad Litem in both Clark and Cowlitz County I am also a Mentor and Arts educator in Vancouver, Washington. The great joy of my life has been working with children from a variety of backgrounds and experiences in an effort to give them a safe space to grow, learn and find their place in the world. Before I became an educator, I spent many years working in a variety of positions including a group home for young women experiencing homelessness and other familial challenges. I am excited about expanding my experience in serving the youth in Cowlitz County as a Title 26 Guardian Ad Litem. After 20 years of working with children and teens, I have learned that when we teach our children that their voices matter, that their thoughts have power and that their ears are their most important asset, we build more empathetic and intelligent communities. I look forward to serving the families of Cowlitz County.

BS Interdisciplinary Social Sciences [Psychology, Sociology, Law & Justice] from Central WA University, Associate in Technical Sciences-Criminal Justice with a Certificate in Corrections. I serve as a Title 26 (Domestic Relations) GAL in Cowlitz, Chelan & Clark Counties; I have 14+ years of experience and I have been appointed to 110+ cases. I have specialized training in Child Advocacy, Sexual Assault (child/adult), Domestic Violence (child/adult), Juvenile Justice, Crime Victim Advocacy, Corrections, Healthcare, Education, Municipal Government and Public Information. I have served as a Title 13 GAL (CASA-Dependency) in Chelan County. Curriculum Vitae 2004-2019 available upon request.

Working in the community with families and youth in social services since 2010. These positions have allowed me to work with youth and their families in stressful situations with a capacity to show compassion in those situations.  I am an active volunteer and love our community. I have an AA in Business from LCC and a BA in Social Sciences from Ashford University.

20 years of experience working for KL Group.  I’ve conducted intake interviews for Keith Lawrence in adoption cases.  I’ve been a GAL since 2017 and have been on the registries in Cowlitz, Wahkiakum and Pacific Counties.  I have been a GAL on 29 cases since my appointment to the Cowlitz County GAL Registry.  Mental health cases are my specialty.

BA in Psychology, 48 years of experience in Criminal Justice and Social Services, 25 years as a Juvenile Probation Officer, 4 years as a case worker for DSHS and 40 years conducting home studies for stepparent/grandparent adoptions. Expert witness as independent home study investigator in contested DSHS adoption matters, 48 years of case planning, resource utilization, report writing and testimony, have been on Cowlitz County GAL registry since 2017. I’m on the GAL registries in Cowlitz, Wahkiakum and Pacific counties.  

Date Accepted onto Registry:  06/03/2019

Associates in Paralegal Studies; 6+ years legal experience with 3 years focused on family and child advocacy.  Former experience spans civil, criminal and family law. Newly appointed and serving as a GAL in Cowlitz, Wahkiakum and Pacific counties.

Amy Turnbull is a Title 26 (Family Law) Guardian ad Litem in Cowlitz, Lewis, and Clark Counties, and has been since 2021. In 2023, Dr. Turnbull also became a Title 11.130 (Adult Guardianship) Court Visitor. Dr. Turnbull holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from The Colorado College and a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University. Prior to moving to southwest Washington, Dr. Turnbull had a private practice where she collaborated with other practitioners and taught at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health as an adjunct faculty. Her specialized training includes, but is not limited to, health and medicine, mental health, sexual assault, domestic violence, addiction disorders, physical disabilities, education, ethics/bias, and cultural diversity.