Katharine Esser

While my background is primarily in trauma recovery, substance use disorder recovery, and cultural adjustment, I love working with all people. I believe many people can improve through therapy and reach a better state of wellness, and I work to offer a genuine, empathetic, and warm space to help clients achieve that. I am currently working on my PhD in Sports & Performance Psychology with the goal of continuing to help people improve holistically as they recover from physical and mental injuries and work to return to a state of well-being.

Our work will make room for both what you are experiencing now and the experiences, relationships, and patterns that have shaped how you got here. We’ll explore how issues in your life may be affecting your emotional well-being. While my primary theoretical orientation is Adlerian, or Individual Psychology, I use a variety of techniques to help you navigate patterns in your history that may be causing distress in your present life. I remain trauma-informed in connection with my clients and work to utilize this approach to process trauma and to help you develop healthy ways to cope with its impact. I believe that people are resilient, and while we may be shaped by our past histories, family systems, or experiences, we can continue building resilience to thrive in both our current and future lives. Our sessions will be warm, collaborative, and paced around what feels manageable for you, while still helping you move toward meaningful and lasting change.

You do not need to walk into our first session knowing exactly where to begin. We will start by talking about what has been happening, what feels hardest right now, and what you hope could be different. I will take time to understand your experiences, what you have already tried, and what has or has not worked for you in the past. From there, we will decide together what deserves our attention first and create goals that feel realistic and meaningful to you. You can expect me to be warm and supportive while also helping you look honestly at patterns that may be keeping you stuck. Progress might mean feeling less controlled by depression or painful memories, developing a healthier relationship with substances, responding differently when stress or panic builds, processing grief, strengthening relationships, or simply beginning to trust yourself again. We will continue checking in on what is helping and adjust our work as your needs change. When you are ready, you can schedule your first session with me through Headway.