Kathryn O'Brien

I believe in the strengths of the clients who come to me for therapy; I want them to experience successes along the way and find belonging in the spaces they inhabit, whether those are current spaces or new ones they create. Key to those successes are elements of confidence-building, personal structure, reflection, and a sense of belonging.

Q. Why are you interested to be listed on Thriving Campus?
A. In addition to being a licensed psychotherapist I'm also an adjunct professor at a local university. Universities present unique challenges to students and to faculty. I enjoy academia, and I find students in higher education to have specific issues of development along the transition to independent adulthood. I enjoy being part of students' journeys - undergraduates, graduates, post-graduates - throughout the stages of making meaning through the combined elements of social environments, knowledge-building, and new experiences. Supporting faculty who are navigating the pressures to excel on a daily basis is also an important part of my work.

Q. What should someone know about working with you?
A. I believe in the strengths of the clients who come to me for therapy; I want them to experience successes along the way and find belonging in the spaces they inhabit, whether those are current spaces or new ones they create. I believe that laughter is important. I provide solid support for clients to do the work of change. I understand the workings of oppression related to skin color, sex, gender identity, religion, age, and ability. Therefore, I can help clients identify these mechanisms at work in their lives.

Q. Have you done any research-based work that you found particularly exciting? How does it inform your practice today?
A. My PhD was focused on human learning, gender identity, and social justice. I conducted lifespan narrative interviews with 12 transgender and nonbinary people. I learned how the automatic mechanisms of oppression in American culture forced these individuals’ identities underground, which of course can result in the likelihood of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and suicide attempts. I also learned about the significance of personal belongings as representations of identity and as signs of support and love from others. What I learned through this research informs my work with all areas of oppression brought to the session by a client.

Q. How do you suggest that clients maximize the benefits of teletherapy?
A. Teletherapy comes with a few built-in advantages, such as saving on transportation costs and parking fees and eliminating travel time. To fully benefit from our time together, clients should plan to be alone in a quiet space that is free of distractions. Sessions should be scheduled to occur when there is the least amount of stress for the client just before and just after the session. This will maximize the ability to prepare for the session and absorb what happened during the session. Preparation might include a few minutes of breathing and identification of top-of-mind topics for the upcoming session. Post-session should include making quick notes of key takeaways from the conversation followed by breathing to settle back into the rhythm of that specific time of day.

Core concept: You are welcome here.