It can be deeply draining when the way you present yourself to the world doesn’t reflect how you feel inside. You may move through your days feeling sad, anxious, or on edge, even when others expect you to appear calm or put‑together. Trusting and connecting with people feels difficult. You adapt to every environment like a chameleon, hide parts of yourself to stay safe, and sometimes withdraw from the world altogether.

It’s painful when you feel unheard or dismissed—when people overlook your needs, minimize your experiences, or make you question your own reality. They don’t see the effort it takes to keep parts of yourself hidden, or how exhausting it is to move through life feeling misunderstood or unseen.

Imagine instead waking up without that heaviness—feeling rested, grounded, and genuinely connected. Imagine experiencing moments of ease rather than sadness, anger, guilt, or constant tension. Picture being able to express what you need and having someone truly listen. Imagine feeling confident enough to set boundaries, to speak up when something isn’t right, and to trust that your feelings matter.

Meet Kathie

​Lewis Carroll once wrote, “When you can’t look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark.” That line has stayed with me throughout my career. It captures the heart of how I practice: I don’t pull people toward the light before they’re ready. I sit with them, honor the weight of what they carry, and help them rediscover their own capacity to move forward. Healing, to me, is not about forcing hope—it’s about creating a space where hope can safely return.

My path into this work began long before I had the language for it. I grew up in New York, where I first became fascinated by the complexity of the human mind and the quiet ways people learn to survive what they’ve lived through. That curiosity led me to study psychology in New Hampshire, where I began to understand how deeply our stories shape us. In 2001, I moved to Florida to continue my education at the University of North Florida. I earned my master’s degree in 2006 and became a licensed mental health counselor in 2009. I’ve been practicing since 2005, and each year has deepened my belief in the resilience of the human spirit.

Much of my early career was spent in correctional mental health—settings where trauma is often unspoken but ever-present. Those years taught me about the intersections of pain, survival, and humanity. They also taught me that people often need someone who can hold steady in the darkness with them, without judgment or fear. That understanding became a foundation for the work I do today.

A pivotal moment in my career came while I was working in a Department of Juvenile Justice program. I listened to a woman share her trauma with a level of courage that was both heartbreaking and transformative. Her willingness to speak her truth shifted something in me. It redirected my clinical path and strengthened my commitment to supporting individuals who have lived through profound, complex, and often invisible wounds. Her story reminded me that healing is not linear, and that sometimes the most powerful thing we can offer another person is presence.

Today, my work centers on supporting individuals navigating complex trauma, personality disorders, and the unique challenges of generational trauma. I approach therapy with a blend of structure, curiosity, and compassion, always honoring the pace and needs of the person in front of me. My goal is to help clients understand their patterns, reclaim their narratives, and reconnect with parts of themselves that trauma may have silenced.

I am trained in Brainspotting Phase 1 and am a Certified EMDR therapist, as well as an EMDRIA‑approved Consultant‑in‑Training as of 2024. EMDR has become a central part of my work because it allows clients to process trauma in a way that is both gentle and deeply effective. I continue to expand my understanding of dissociation through IFS‑Informed EMDR trainings, and I am exploring certification in sex therapy with a specialization in kink. I believe that healing must include the full spectrum of human experience, including identity, intimacy, and embodiment. Trauma often affects these areas profoundly, and I want to ensure I can support clients with the nuance and respect they deserve.

Outside the therapy room, I ground myself in the relationships and activities that nourish me. Time with my family, friends, and my beloved furbaby keeps me connected to joy and balance. I’m an avid reader—stories have always been a source of comfort and expansion for me. I love movies, music, and TV for the way they allow us to step into different worlds, and I find renewal in traveling, which reminds me of how vast and varied life can be.

At my core, I believe that healing is not about erasing the past but about learning to live with it in a new way. It is about reclaiming agency, reconnecting with self, and finding meaning even in the places that once felt unbearable. My role is not to lead from ahead but to walk beside you—to hold space for your story, to honor your pace, and to help you rediscover the parts of yourself that trauma tried to dim. Every person carries a story that deserves to be met with compassion.

​Every person deserves a place where they can speak their truth without fear. And every person has the capacity to heal, even when the path feels unclear. My work is to help illuminate that path—not by forcing brightness, but by offering steady companionship in the shadows until your own light begins to rise again.