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Kate Mordarski

Licensed Professional Counselor

Pronouns: She/Her

Style: Warm, Collaborative, and Non-Judgmental

Works with:

  • Individuals
  • Couples

Who I am as a Therapist

 

My therapeutic approach focuses on working collaboratively with my clients to build empathy, connection, and the power and motivation for change. I believe our past life experiences, as well as physical, social, and psychological factors, can inform our current behaviors in ways that are both helpful and unhelpful in our lives. Therapy can help you learn ways to be more effective in your choices, challenging behaviors that are no longer helpful. There’s a saying in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, “We do the best we can, and we need to learn to do better.” While our inner experience as well as the world outside of us help shape who we are, they do not define who we can be. By working together, we identify tools, skills, and ways to challenge belief systems in order to move toward a more meaningful life.

My time working in conjunction with the legal system has informed my understanding of how systems of oppression can leave indelible marks on our lives. Important and indelible aspects of our identities such as race, ethnicity, and gender are often negatively affected by systems designed to cause harm. I aim to strike a balance between understanding what is within and without our control, and how those factors shape and change us. Over the years I have worked in outpatient and residential dual-diagnosis treatment, supporting clients struggling with addiction and mental health. I’ve also worked in crisis services, assessment, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Coaching, and inpatient clinical review. I use Trauma-Informed Care to meet clients where they are and to recognize the factors that contribute to what brought them into treatment. I strive to be authentic in my space with you, including sitting with discomfort and allowing space for your experience without judgment. 

“Those who have a ‘why’ to live can bear with almost any ‘how.'”

-Viktor Frankl

Specialty Areas

Mental Health Challenges 

  • Activism & Burnout
  • Addiction & Substance Use
  • Aging
  • Anxiety (General, Panic, Phobias)
  • Attachment & Relational Challenges
  • Depression
  • Grief & Loss
  • LGBTQIA+
  • Life Transitions
  • Managing Stress
  • Postpartum Depression
  • Women’s Issues

Therapeutic Approaches 

  • Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Anti-Racist Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC)
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  • Interpersonal Neurobiology
  • Mind-Body/Somatic
  • Mindfulness
  • Motivational Interviewing (MI)
  • Solution-Focused Therapy
  • Transgender Affirming Care

Who I am when I’m not a Therapist

 

I started my career working in behavioral neuroscience research and quickly realized that I didn’t want to work in a lab. I wanted to work with people. After over 10 years of experience providing mental health and addiction treatment, I am glad my past self took the risk of changing careers midstream. Thanks, Past Kate! I enjoy spending time with my family, cooking and baking a variety of delicious and sometimes failed foods, and prefer my social media to have a healthy helping of goofy dogs. My self-care routine often involves exercise, playing music, and video games.

Education 

  • MA in Counseling Psychology from Lewis & Clark’s Graduate School of Education and Counseling
  • BS in Psychology from Eastern Michigan University, MI

Training & Experience  

  • Outpatient and Residential Substance Abuse Treatment
  • Intensive Outpatient Behavioral Health Services
    Crisis and Triage
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Training
  • Health At Every Size Approach
  • Intuitive Eating
  • Polyvagal Theory

Get Started Today

Text or Call

(503) 349-2281