Welcome, I’m Katie…

It is both my calling and my greatest joy to help people heal and unburden from the things that prevent them from living their most authentic lives. I believe that there is a wellspring of joy, love, courage, peace, and vitality within every human being and the capacity to heal themselves. My integrative, embodied approach to counseling is designed to connect you with that.

It’s okay if a part of you (or most of you) is skeptical that all this healing potential could be inside you. Chances are you’re seeking counseling because you are experiencing significant pain or inner turmoil and want to find some relief. The primary type of therapy that I practice, Internal Family Systems (IFS), embraces that every human being has parts within them that can feel and think different things at any given moment. These parts are like subpersonalities and sometimes they can cause considerable unrest in the mind and body when they conflict with each other. Maybe you have a harsh inner critic and parts that feel sad, lonely, and beaten down by that. The interesting thing is that a lot of the parts that cause present-day pain in our system (i.e. criticism, caretaking, addictions, self-harm) are actually working really hard to protect younger versions of you who were deeply hurt in the past. I want to reassure you that no matter how a part of you feels, thinks, or behaves, none of your parts are bad. All of you is welcome here.

In IFS, we believe that any part that is struggling is just lacking an awareness of a very important resource—your core Self which is characterized by balance, curiosity, and compassion. In our sessions, we’ll tap into this resource and get to know and understand the parts in your system from this nonjudgmental perspective. We find that when parts feel understood and supported rather than shamed or judged, calmness and confidence begin to grow. I realize this may sound a little “woo woo” at the moment, but I can assure you that IFS is an evidence-based approach that works. IFS and somatics are what pulled me out of the trenches of trauma and why I can call myself a “thriving survivor” today.

A little bit about my story…

My journey to becoming a counselor began with my own experience of profound struggle and transformation. There was a time in my life when traumatic experiences left me believing that I was truly broken. I spent years (and an insane amount of money) in traditional talk therapy under the impression that I could talk my way into a better head space. This type of counseling was helpful with validating my experience and gave me a cognitive understanding of the symptoms of complex trauma. But awareness and self-compassion did little to alleviate the symptoms that were impeding my ability to fully engage in life. I lost faith in the medical system’s ability to “fix me” and started to question the value of psychotherapy in general. With awareness of my wounding and no relief in sight, I was left feeling depressed and wondered, “Now what?”

Luckily, I gave therapy one more shot. In an act of amazing grace, I finally connected with a therapist who asked me the all-important question, “What do you feel in your body?” My answer marked my first, significant step on my journey back to me. Through somatic work and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, I not only found the relief that I had been searching for. I found hope, resilience, and a reconnection to the parts of myself I thought I’d lost forever. This lived experience of healing and rebirth inspired me to walk alongside others on their healing paths, not as a lofty academic with interventions based on theory, but as a compassionate witness and guide who has been to the darkest places and knows the way forward.

What to expect in our sessions…

There is no “one size fits all” approach to doing this work. However, I consider the sessions with ALL my clients to be a sacred space where all parts (feelings, thoughts, behaviors) are welcomed with compassion. Together, we’ll get to know the parts of you that carry pain and burdens, creating a safe and supportive space for them to feel seen, understood, and free to transform. I will draw from my toolbox of other modalities including Brainspotting and somatics. My role is to guide and teach you how to access the strength and wholeness that already exists within you, so you can carry the tools for healing with you, wherever life takes you.

Licensure & Education

Licensed Mental Health Counselor | Florida #MH24445

MA, Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Florida Gulf Coast University

Certifications & Specialized Training

Phase 1 Trained in Brainspotting (BSP) | with Dr. Tracy Gantlin-Monroy, MA, MDiv, LPC

Somatic IFS | IFS Institute with Susan McConnel and Richard Schwartz, Ph.D.,

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Circle | IFS Institute with Richard Schwartz, Ph.D., Toni Herbine-Blank, RN, & Pamela Krause, LCSW

Healing Trauma | The Embody Lab with Dr. Peter Levine

Shame-Informed Treatment Specialist | trained with Patti Ashley, PhD, LPC

Disordered Eating: Somatic, Self-Compassion, and Mindfulness Interventions for Lasting Recovery | with Andreana Saffi Biasetti, PhD, LCSWR, CEDS, CIAY

Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors | The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behaviors Medicine (NICABM) with Janina Fisher, PhD

Binge Eating Disorder: Clinical Interventions to Treat Underlying Trauma, Body Shame, and the Diet/Binge Cycle | Center for Eating Disorders with Amy Pershing, LMSW, ACSW

Somatic Attachment Healing 2022 | The Embody Lab

Professional Associations

Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling

The Foundation for Self Leadership

American Counseling Association