Katherine Schmidt (she/her), MACP, RP, C.C.C.
Hi, I'm Katherine!
I am a Registered Psychotherapist (#008442), a Certified Canadian Counsellor (#10005143) and founder of New Growth Psychotherapy.
Since I was a young child, I have always been a sensitive and attuned person who is passionate about helping others. I try and create a warm, compassionate, understanding and non-judgmental space to help my clients grow, heal and develop skills to help them manage difficult life situations.
Populations Served
I primarily work with adults (aged 18+) and help clients with a variety of issues such as:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Grief
- Body image issues
- Disordered eating patterns
- Stress management
- Relationship issues
- Trauma
Specialties
While I work with a wide variety of individuals and issues, I also specialize in working in particular with:
- University and College students. I know University and College can be a difficult and stressful time in a young adult's life, and I try and help students navigate this difficult transition, as well as the unique stressors these environments can cause.
- Anxiety. Anxiety is incredibly prevalent in our world, and can be so debilitating and disruptive to our lives. I like to help individuals build tools to help manage anxiety so they can live the life they want to live.
My Approach to therapy
I am a client-centered and trauma-informed therapist that works from an eclectic approach. You might be wondering, what does that even mean?! Let me explain:
Client-centered
This basically means that I will support and guide you as you make decisions, and we will work towards goals that are important to YOU. I think about therapy like driving a car together; you are in the drivers seat and I am in the passenger seat! You tell me where you want to go, and I will help guide you there and we will get there collaboratively and together.
Trauma Informed
Being trauma-informed means that I consider and have an understanding as to how past events have impacted your brain, emotions, responses, behaviours and thought patterns in the present, and help you make connections between past events and current feelings.
Eclectic Approach
I don’t think therapy is a “one size fits all” situation, so I pull from multiple different theoretical orientations and modalities to find what approach best suits my clients, their presenting concerns, and the way that their brain works. Which means we might try a couple of different approaches to see which one you resonate and connect with the most! Or sometimes I have clients request a specific approach that they have experienced as helpful in the past. Here are the various orientations I work from:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)
- Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Mindfulness Approaches
- Solution-Focused Therapy
Systemic
I consider the various "systems" and contexts you are apart of when doing our work together. These are typically our families of origin, our schools, workplaces, as well as cultures and societies. All of these things have an impact on us, and it is important to examine how they can effect us throughout our lives.
Additional Information
Education
I completed my Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Guelph in Psychology: Brain and Cognition, minoring in Neuroscience. I completed my Master of Arts Degree at the University of Western Ontario in Counselling Psychology, and I began practicing as a Registered Psychotherapist in 2019 in group private practice contexts. I really love to incorporate my knowledge of brain and body functions to help clients understand what exactly is happening within their body when they are experiencing various emotions and trauma.
On a personal Note
I love to spend time outdoors and connecting with nature through hiking, kayaking, camping and horseback riding. I also love snuggling with my four cats Obsidian (Obi), Rosie, Marie and Toulouse – sometimes they might make appearances during virtual sessions. I love to read, knit, crochet, and embroider as well!
