About Katie
Therapy for people who are tired of having to explain themselves
Many of the people I work with have spent years trying to make sense of experiences that other people minimized, misunderstood, or oversimplified.
They may be transgender or gender-questioning. Neurodivergent. Living with chronic illness or chronic pain. Carrying religious trauma. Burned out from masking. Exhausted from repeatedly trying to explain themselves to medical providers, therapists, partners, workplaces, or family members.
Often, they are navigating several of these experiences at the same time.
And after a while, that kind of constant translation can become its own form of exhaustion.
I specialize in working with clients whose experiences sit at the intersection of gender identity, neurodivergence, chronic illness, trauma, and systemic misunderstanding.
Many of my clients come to therapy after years of feeling unseen in spaces where they were supposed to receive support. Some have been dismissed by medical systems. Some have learned to question their own instincts after repeatedly being second-guessed. Others have spent so much energy adapting to everyone around them that they are no longer sure what they actually need themselves.
That’s something I take seriously in this work.
How I Work
Therapy with me is collaborative, direct, relational, and grounded in real life.
I am not interested in reducing people down to diagnoses, labels, or checklists. My role is not to tell you who you are. It is to help you better understand your own internal experience so you can move through your life with more clarity, stability, self-trust, and emotional sustainability.
Some sessions may involve exploring identity, dysphoria, transition decisions, masking, burnout, relationships, or family dynamics.
Other sessions may focus on grief, chronic stress, medical trauma, self-doubt, shame, or the emotional impact of repeatedly not being believed.
Sometimes therapy is about making major life decisions. Sometimes it is about finally having a space where your nervous system does not have to work so hard to be understood.
I work especially well with clients who are thoughtful, insightful, emotionally self-aware, and exhausted from carrying too much internally for too long.
Areas of Specialization
Gender Identity & Transition
I specialize in working with transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse adults across all stages of identity exploration and transition.
Some clients are quietly questioning their identity for the first time. Others are navigating social, medical, or relational transitions. Some are processing what comes after transition, including relationships, grief, embodiment, visibility, and rebuilding a life that feels more fully their own.
I also provide letters for gender-affirming medical care when clinically appropriate.
Neurodivergence (ADHD & Autism)
Many of the clients I work with are autistic, ADHD, or otherwise neurodivergent.
Our work often focuses on reducing burnout, understanding lifelong patterns, unlearning shame, navigating masking, improving emotional sustainability, and building systems that genuinely fit the way your brain works rather than forcing yourself into systems that do not.
I have particular experience working with the intersection of neurodivergence and gender identity, especially for clients whose identity exploration has been complicated by years of masking or feeling disconnected from themselves.
Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain & Medical Trauma
Living with chronic illness or chronic pain often impacts far more than physical health.
Many clients I work with carry profound exhaustion from navigating medical systems that repeatedly minimized, dismissed, or misunderstood them. The emotional impact of not being believed can become just as painful as the condition itself.
Our work may involve grief, pacing, nervous system overwhelm, advocacy fatigue, identity shifts, burnout, and rebuilding trust in yourself after years of medical dismissal.
Religious Trauma
I also work with clients processing religious trauma, purity culture, identity suppression, and spiritual harm.
For many LGBTQ+ and transgender clients, religious experiences have deeply shaped how they understand safety, shame, belonging, and self-worth. Therapy can become a space to untangle those experiences and rebuild autonomy around your own values, beliefs, and identity.
My Background
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and WPATH SOC8 Certified Gender Specialist with over 12 years of experience working with transgender and LGBTQIA+ clients.
In addition to my clinical practice, I am also an author, speaker, and educator. I provide continuing education trainings for therapists and healthcare professionals on topics including transgender mental healthcare, autism and gender identity, chronic illness and medical trauma, religious trauma, ethics, and affirming clinical care.
I have presented at conferences and organizations including USPATH, Gender Odyssey Los Angeles, The Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference, medical systems, universities, and clinician training programs throughout the country.
I am also the author of The Gender Identity Journal: Prompts and Practices for Exploration and Self Discovery.
Alongside my professional experience, I bring lived experience with ADHD, chronic pain, and chronic illness into the way I approach therapy. That experience shapes how I think about pacing, expectations, burnout, masking, and what healing actually looks like in real life — not just in theory.
My work is informed by approaches such as CBT, solution-focused therapy, existential therapy, and trauma-informed care, but more than anything, therapy with me is grounded in the relationship we build together.
Outside of Therapy
Outside of work, I recharge through live music, time with my dogs and cats, creative projects, and quiet moments at home.
I believe growth often happens less through dramatic breakthroughs and more through smaller moments of honesty, relief, connection, and self-recognition over time.
Starting Therapy
Starting therapy can feel vulnerable, especially if you’ve had previous experiences where you did not feel understood, believed, or emotionally safe.
You do not need to have everything figured out before reaching out.
If you’d like, we can start with a free 10-minute consultation to see whether working together feels like a good fit.