LMHC, 4 years of experience
New to Grow
Hello, my name is Katrina and I look forward to learning about your healing journey. Before becoming a clinical mental health counselor, I worked as both an elementary school teacher and school administrator in the U.S., Italy, and China. These roles introduced me to the impact our home environments and personal relationships have on our holistic health and on the decisions we say 'Yes' or 'No' to. I transitioned into clinical mental health counseling while living in Shanghai with my family. This experience offered me the opportunity to work with adolescents, adults, and couples from six continents and to learn how, despite cultural and linguistic differences, we all seek meaning, purpose, and acceptance in our lives. In addition, it provided me with the unexpected opportunity to learn how to offer crisis counseling online and in-person to those living under COVID lockdown and quarantine conditions, an experience that prepared me to participate in on-the-ground crisis counseling services in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in SW Florida. I enjoy offering others a space for conversations that can spark insight into what we want from therapy and what we are ready to commit to in this moment. Sometimes we come to therapy ready to overhaul our lives. Other times, we need verbal processing that allows us to grieve our losses, acknowledge our regrets without blame, talk about trauma in a safe way, and receive validation for what we are looking forward to. In this environment, I hope to collaborate with you in a meaningful way that prepares you for your next stage of life- or perhaps helps you survive the stage you are currently in.
Our first session will run 50-55 minutes. During this time, I will review your confidentiality rights, exceptions to confidentiality, and the best times and ways to contact me outside of session. We will then complete a first session assessment where I can learn more about your history (i.e., family, medical, trauma, relationship), your presenting problem, your therapeutic goals, and your expectations for therapy. None of these questions are legally mandated, so you are welcome to tell me your are skipping a question. Based on your needs, we will discuss appropriate goals and set the frequency of treatment. For most presenting problems, I request that we meet weekly for the first month and then assess from there; of course, this is based on your time and resource availability. I do not agree to meet monthly until I have met with you for at least 4 sessions (the equivalent of 1 month or 2 months); the reason for this is the need to develop adequate therapeutic rapport. If I determine that I cannot adequately address your presenting problem or if you decide you will not be able to build rapport with me, will we discuss a referral prior to session ending.
Since I practice primarily from a constructivist perspective, our sessions often sound and feel like non-judgmental, meaningful conversations. While some clients request that I use Socratic questioning and/or elicitation early in our relationship when we are building rapport, I structure session around a respectful and engaging "back and forth" of ideas, beliefs, worries, and opportunities. As a therapist, I do not provide advice; instead, I maintain an environment where you can voice your thoughts and emotions without repercussion and receive constructive feedback. This approach is particularly helpful with those of us struggling with self-harm, suicidal ideation, and past suicide attempts. Outside of therapy, these topics are often met with stigma, shame, and blame, reactions that worsen symptoms. In our conversations, we will seek to understand the beliefs, fears, hopes, and unmet needs that motivate these thoughts and behaviors.
In my current practice, I work online with adults aged 18 and older on a range of mental health concerns. These concerns include but are not limited to depression, suicidal ideation, past suicide attempts, self-harm, mood disorders, anxiety management, trauma processing, LGBTQIA+ empowerment, and life transitions. Please note that I am not trained to treat clients diagnosed on the schizophrenia spectrum or living with active addiction or eating disorders. (I can treat disordered eating.) As both of my therapeutic modalities, CBT and constructivism, require consistent engagement, my approach to therapy works best for those who find themselves in the Preparation, Action, and Maintenance stages of the Stages of Change Model. There are times when my approach will also be helpful for those in the Contemplation stage; I am able to provide feedback of continuing therapy with me or offering a referral in the first 2-4 sessions. If you do not know where you fall in the Stages of Change, please see here: https://smartrecovery.org/the-stages-of-change
CBT allows us to understand the connection between the mind, body, and emotions. We use this knowledge to improve our self-awareness and, through the development of coping skills and new perspectives over time, transform our emotional reactions into conscious responses. The processing of trauma is often required as our past hurts can create self-limiting beliefs that encourage the same unhelpful behavior again and again. Depending on need, clients begin therapy with either a focus on verbal processing or a joint focus on verbal processing and skills development. Sample skills include progressive muscle relaxation, cognitive challenging, replacement behavior for self-harm, therapeutic writing, and mindfulness training. Clients are included in the creation and implementation of their treatment plan throughout the course of therapy.
Narrative therapy comes from postmodern counseling theory and teaches clients how to use the power of perspective to create meaning out of the challenges they have experienced. Often, life experiences leave us with feelings of guilt, blame, and shame that we don't quite know what to do with. In narrative therapy, clients use a foundation of CBT skills to improve their sense of self-compassion and patience, skills that allow them to understand their past and present emotions and beliefs. Through verbal processing, clients use these skills to create healthy meaning out of unresolved past events. In order to round out verbal processing, clients then engage in skills development that focuses on recognizing choice points, taking action on solutions, and building acceptance when a solution is not yet possible. While clients are welcome to engage in therapeutic writing in and outside of session, it is not mandatory. Narrative therapy focuses on using whatever medium a client is most confident in (i.e., voice, writing, art, movement) in order to resolve their presenting issue(s).