Katie is a Registered Art Therapist (ATR) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) currently providing trauma-informed counseling services at the RSVP Center. They earned BAs in both Psychology and Languages and Literatures from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, which laid the foundation for their culturally responsive work. Katie went on to earn an MA in Art Therapy Counseling from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, graduating at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early in their career, Katie worked with young adults experiencing housing instability, offering therapeutic support, case management, including IEP support and student safety planning, and life skills training. This work also involved addressing systemic barriers to care—barriers that were only magnified during the pandemic. Katie later transitioned to providing school-based counseling services throughout St. Louis County, delivering trauma-informed art counseling services.
In addition to clinical work, Katie has collaborated with various schools and community mental health agencies to promote trauma-informed care and the value of art therapy. They have trained emerging clinicians in crisis intervention, culturally competent care—especially for LGBTQ+ clients—and strategies to manage vicarious trauma.
Katie is deeply committed to creating safe, affirming spaces for clients in crisis and recovery, grounding their practice in queer theory and anti-bias, anti-racist (ABAR) principles. Katie is trained in a variety of approaches to help best fit students’ needs, including Internal Family Systems, Narrative, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and person-centered/strengths-based approaches. You can find Katie around campus with a fidget toy, coffee, or their comfort water bottle in hand!