Therapy for transgender, neurodivergent, and chronically ill adults who are tired of having to explain themselves

Specialized therapy at the intersection of gender identity, ADHD/autism, chronic illness, medical trauma, religious trauma, and relational burnout.

You do not need to minimize your experience, educate your therapist, or translate yourself here.

Book a Free 10-Minute Consultation

WPATH SOC8 Certified Gender Specialist

Licensed in GA, TX, SC, NC, and FL

Specialized therapy for complex, intersecting experiences

Many of the clients I work with have spent years trying to make sense of experiences that other people misunderstood, minimized, or oversimplified.

You may be questioning or exploring your gender identity, navigating transition, autistic or ADHD, living with chronic illness or chronic pain, processing religious trauma, burned out from masking, or exhausted from systems that repeatedly failed to listen.

Often, these experiences do not show up separately. They overlap.

Therapy with me is collaborative, grounded, and focused on helping you better understand yourself — without forcing yourself into someone else’s expectations of who you should be.

Specialized care from someone deeply immersed in this work

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, WPATH SOC8 Certified Gender Specialist, author, speaker, and continuing education trainer with over 12 years of experience working with transgender and LGBTQIA+ clients.

In addition to my clinical practice, I provide trainings for therapists and healthcare professionals on transgender mental healthcare, autism and gender identity, chronic illness and medical trauma, religious trauma, ethics, and affirming clinical care.

I have presented at organizations and conferences including USPATH, Gender Odyssey Los Angeles, The Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference, and clinician training programs across the country.

I am also the author of The Gender Identity Journal: Prompts and Practices for Exploration and Self Discovery.

You may be carrying experiences like:

Feeling emotionally exhausted from constantly explaining yourself.

Questioning whether your experiences are “serious enough” to deserve support.

Masking so heavily that you are no longer sure what you actually need.

Feeling disconnected from your body, identity, energy, or emotions.

Burnout from trying to function in systems that were not built for you.

Grief related to chronic illness, transition, relationships, family, faith, or lost time.

Anxiety about medical systems after repeated dismissal.

Shame from years of feeling “too much,” “too sensitive,” “behind,” or “not enough.”

You do not have to untangle all of this alone.

What therapy with me is like

My approach is relational, affirming, direct, and grounded in real life.

I work especially well with thoughtful, insightful clients who are emotionally self-aware but overwhelmed from carrying too much internally for too long.

Sessions may focus on identity exploration, reducing shame and self-doubt, nervous system overwhelm, chronic stress, burnout, relationships, communication, transition-related support, pacing, grief, emotional processing, or building practical systems that support your actual life.

Therapy is not about “fixing” you.

It is about helping you better understand yourself, reduce internalized shame, and build a life that feels more sustainable and aligned.

A little about me

Outside of therapy, I recharge through live music, time with my dogs and cats, creative projects, and quieter moments at home.

I also live with ADHD and chronic pain myself, which shapes how I think about pacing, burnout, masking, expectations, and what healing realistically looks like in everyday life.

That lived experience informs my work without defining it.

You may be experiencing some of this: 

Gender identity exploration

You may be questioning, exploring, or already know your identity but want support navigating what comes next.

In our work, you have space to explore without pressure, along with support for transition-related care when needed.

Neurodivergence (ADHD or autism)

Many of the clients I work with are neurodivergent and are trying to make sense of patterns they’ve noticed for years—whether that’s executive functioning challenges, masking, or feeling overwhelmed.

In our work, we focus on approaches that actually fit how your brain works, while reducing shame and burnout.

Chronic illness or ongoing stress on your body

You may be managing fatigue, pain, or fluctuating energy—and trying to navigate daily life around that.

In our work, we focus on pacing, self-understanding, and supporting your body without pushing past your limits.

What working together can look like:

Sessions are collaborative, affirming, and grounded in real-life application.

We might focus on:

• Understanding your experience without minimizing it

• Building tools that actually fit your life and energy

• Reducing shame and self-doubt

• Navigating identity, relationships, or systems safely

You don’t have to mask, explain everything, or prove your experience here.

A little about me 

Outside of therapy, I try to stay connected to things that feel grounding and real—like live music, quiet moments at home, and time with my rescue animals.

Living with chronic pain and ADHD myself, I understand what it’s like to navigate systems that don’t always listen, and to try to function in ways that don’t always match how your brain or body works.

That experience shapes how I show up in therapy.

My work is not about fixing you—it’s about understanding you, reducing shame, and helping you build a way of living that actually fits who you are.

You don’t have to do this alone. 

Starting therapy can feel like a big step—especially if you’ve had experiences where you weren’t believed or understood.

We can start with a free 10-minute consultation to see if this feels like the right fit.

📧 katie@katieleikam.com 

📍Telehealth: GA, TX, SC, FL, NC

👉  Book a Free 10-Minute Consultation

My approach to therapy is collaborative, affirming, direct, and grounded in real life.

I work with many clients who are carrying multiple overlapping experiences at once — gender identity exploration, neurodivergence, chronic illness, burnout, masking, grief, medical trauma, relationship strain, or nervous system overwhelm. Often, these experiences have been misunderstood or minimized by the people and systems around them for years.

Therapy with me is not about forcing yourself to function harder or fit into unrealistic expectations.

It is about helping you better understand your patterns, reduce shame, navigate relationships and systems more sustainably, and build a life that works with your actual brain, body, identity, and capacity.

Our work may include:

• Understanding chronic illness, pain, fatigue, and pacing without minimizing the emotional impact of living in a body that does not always cooperate

• Reducing masking, burnout, and nervous system exhaustion related to ADHD, autism, or long-term survival strategies

• Exploring identity, transition, embodiment, and self-trust in ways that feel grounded rather than performative

• Processing grief, shame, medical dismissal, or the emotional impact of repeatedly not being believed

• Navigating relationships, communication, boundaries, and systems that may feel emotionally or physically overwhelming

I believe therapy should be a space where you do not have to constantly defend, justify, or translate your experiences in order to receive support.