Karissma Rufe

About Karissma

“Karissma strives to create a collaborative, respectful, and supportive space where clients and families feel heard, understood, and empowered to grow.”

With over 25 years of experience in the mental health field, Karissma Rufe brings steadiness, depth, and compassion to her clinical work. Since beginning her career in 1998, Karissma has supported adolescents and adults across a range of settings, including group homes, school-based services, day treatment programs, crisis intervention, and inpatient care. These diverse experiences have strengthened her ability to provide grounded, thoughtful support during times of acute stress and emotional intensity.

Most recently, Karissma provided DBT-informed therapeutic services to adolescents and their families on the Adolescent Inpatient Unit at Providence. In this role, she worked closely with youth experiencing significant mental health challenges, collaborating with families and multidisciplinary teams to promote stabilization, skill development, and safe transitions to ongoing care.

Karissma earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Montana in 2023 and obtained her Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) credential in 2025. Her professional path combines decades of direct-care experience with advanced clinical training, allowing her to integrate practical insight with evidence-based treatment.

Approach to care

Karissma strives to create a collaborative, respectful, and supportive space where clients and families feel heard, understood, and empowered to grow. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys gardening, floating the river in the summer, and skiing in the winter—activities that help her stay grounded and connected to the rhythms of Missoula life.