Katelyn Smart (she/her)

I have a huge passion for working with kids and therefore have dedicated a lot of my research and training opportunities to learning more about how to work with children. At my time working in a domestic violence shelter, I got the chance to work with a lot of kids struggling with trauma, anxiety, family conflict, self esteem, etc. that has given me great insight on the most effective interventions with this population.

In my domestic violence work, one of the key components is empowering clients. In my work, I have found self esteem to be one of the biggest keys to clients becoming empowered. I have since dedicated a lot of time to training related to boosting self esteem and self image and have made it a staple in my curriculum across my current support groups with great results. I feel my personal experience with this topic has also guided my practice in a way to effectively communicate with those struggling

As a personal survivor of sexual assault, working with other survivors has always been a huge passion and influence on my work. In my career so far, I have been lucky enough to have the experience of running support groups for teen and collage aged survivors, attend multiple trainings, and gain the experience necessary to support survivors.

One of the primary treatment types focused on during my education was Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which has given me the necessary skills to use it with clients. I feel helping clients build an understanding of how the way they think impacts their behavior has been very effective in many situations.

Trauma has many long lasting impacts on individuals that have experienced it. Having a safe space to learn about, understand, and process trauma can be a very beneficial step in the healing journey for many trauma survivors, which is exactly what I aim to create with my practice.

I am a firm believer that the client knows best in their own circumstances and that my role is to help support and guide them along the way. Due to this belief, I have found a person-centered approach giving clients a safe space to talk and self-actualize, has been very beneficial for many clients seeking personal growth and positive changes in their lives.