Hi! I’m Kate (she/her), a Therapist in Chicago. I have been in private practice for more than 5 years, and practicing therapy for more than 10. I see adults, adolescents, couples, and I used to work with kids. I got my master’s degree in Social Work from University of Chicago and my undergraduate degree in Psychology from Colby College. Prior to graduate school I worked in Psychiatric Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, and I have provided treatment in inpatient, outpatient, group practice, and community mental health settings.
In my work over the years I have come to see common patterns in why and how people struggle, and have found myself feeling disheartened that therapeutic tools, approaches, and techniques are not more broadly accessible. Having access to these tools and approaches deepens quality of life; improves relationships, well being and overall Mental Health; all while reducing conflict, anxiety, and depression. I found my own personal therapy accelerated and deepened after my training, and for years I’ve looked for an approachable way to make this information more accessible to my clients and the community at large. I’ve created an instagram account (@copingwithkate) in the hopes of helping more people than I could reach through providing individual therapy alone. I will share posts here, though some formatting may be strange because it is intended for instagram.
A few things about me: I have studied these tools and approaches, received formal training in them, and seen them help hundreds of people, myself included. While I am most certainly not a perfect person nor do I lead a flawless life, I think these tools and concepts can help nearly everyone find greater happiness and fulfillment. I also think these tools and concepts can help insulate all of us from difficult times, and give us ways to cope that might not be intuitive in the moment. I personally believe that there is too large of a gap between “popular” psychology, and what is known and studied by therapists. The concepts I learned in my training and in graduate school are useful and you don’t need to be in therapy or go to graduate school to learn them (though therapy most certainly helps you apply them).
I do not believe there is a such a thing as a life without pain – but – I do believe we can all strengthen our ability to endure pain, learn from it, and grow as a result and my hope is these tools and this account will help you do just that. I also believe we all have the ability to learn and grow, and that being “stuck” is often about not having the right tools or resources – or repeating patterns that may not work in times when we’re not sure what else to do. So, I will share what I can through this medium in the hopes that it will help, though – this is not a substitute for therapy itself (said with the knowledge that one-on-one therapy is not accessible for all).