KAREN PATMAS
CEO OF NATIONAL TALENT LA AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF BELLE VIE MAGAZINE
Behind Belle Vie Magazine is a powerful story of love and loss. Born of heartbreak and nourished by aspiration, this magazine celebrates life lived to the fullest. The name “Belle Vie” is French for “beautiful life” and come from deep within my heart. In 2017, I lost my son, Charles in a car crash. He was an exceptional person, full of life, a humble soul and hard worker. Those who knew him agree, he had the soul of an angel. He never hesitated to lift a hand to help others. His presence brightened every room filling it with energy and life. He taught all around him how to live, love and laugh. Though far too short, his was indeed a “beautiful life”. And, it was his spirit and in his memory that Belle Vie Magazine was created.
I had formal training as a model in my teens and am an experienced international model. I have worked in print and runway modeling for over 25 years and appeared in and on many magazine covers both in the US and abroad. I also managed and ran a model mentorship group in the Pacific Northwest. I have scouted and trained models nationally and internationally. I have also assisted in producing and directing runway fashion shows.
With formal training and private coaching in acting and on-camera training, I have been in commercials and appeared in indie films. I have been represented in the Pacific Northwest by Mitchell Artist Management and in Nashville by Graham Talent Agency.
In addition to my modeling and acting credentials, I also hold a Masters Degree in Social Work and am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) in Washington State. I have taken graduate classes in management and leadership. I have 20 years’ experience working as a behavioral health therapist in a variety of settings including a locked inpatient acute psychiatric facility and started a behavioral health department in a 350 provider multi-specialty medical group. I was instrumental in the development of that department as part of the team that hired and managed, reviewed and mentored colleagues. With my clinical degree and license in Washington State, I am qualified to diagnose and assess mental health disorders and implement treatment plans
I have trauma specialization beyond my clinical degree. I owned and managed a private therapy practice. I also worked as a manager in the case management division of Child Protective Services. I did case management in a locked down youth psychiatric facility managing caseloads and utilization reviews with insurance companies, while working with a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses and behavioral health specialists. I led groups, created and developed curricula, family sessions, treatment planning, discharge planning and was a clinician in the ER of a hospital performing psychiatric assessments for admitted patients to youth and adult psychiatric units.
This journey, this loss, has brought me to this place in life. My calling is to lift others and to help make their dreams come true.
We are not promised tomorrow. So, live your dreams and love others today. Live your Belle Vie.
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