Counseling for
Individuals and Intimate Partners
in oregon & Washington
ABOUT
Kathryn A. Williams
Licensed Professional Counselor
Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us.
~ David Richo
Kathryn A.Williams, LPC, NCC
True Self Counseling
A Bit About Me
I grew up east of Los Angeles with my parents, two younger sisters, and a host of beloved animal companions. I came out as lesbian at age 16 in the 1970s and attended Pitzer College in So Cal my freshman year before heading north. I completed my BS degree in Wildlife Biology and Creative Writing from University of California, Davis.
I then shifted my interests to natural health and holistic healing. I trained in and got licensed as a massage therapist in the 1980s. Years later, I pursued a dream of being a freelance writer and completed a master’s degree in English from Portland State University with a final compilation titled: Defiant Women and Venturesome Men: Critical Inquiries into Literary Gender Boundaries, Breaches, and Other Things.
Finally, with much soul-searching, I put the threads of my career wanderings together after completing a second master’s degree in Professional Mental Health Counseling from Lewis & Clark College.
My Experience and Training
I have worked in integrative healthcare in many capacities over the years, most recently as a mental health therapist at Quest Center for Integrative Health. I have practiced in collaboration with a naturopathic physician, osteopathic doctor, acupuncturists, drug and alcohol counselors, and yoga instructors. I’ve worked primarily with individuals and couples who identify as LGBTQ, people living with HIV, those in recovery from drugs and alcohol, and those seeking overall wellness. I have facilitated Enneagram groups, biblio-poetry groups, TREM (trauma and recovery empowerment for women) groups, and developed a genderqueer/transgender support group.
I am board certified as a telemental health provider (BC-TMH 2434–verify credential) I am certified as an Enneagram teacher through the Narrative Tradition with Helen Palmer and David Daniels. My continuing education training includes externship training in emotion focused therapy for couples, EMDR intensive and EMDRI-approved basic training, motivational interviewing, trauma-informed therapies, and biblio-poetry therapy, Internal Family Systems personal experience and self-study–waiting for formal training opportunities to become available.
Life Labels
I live with my wife and beloved animal companions. When I am not engaged in the most fulfilling work of my life, anything to do with psychotherapy, I enjoy meaningful one-on-one talks with friends, walking, hiking, biking, kayaking, gardening, reading, photography, studying Tibetan Buddhism and meditating, and bird watching (especially the hummers.) If categories and labels are helpful, I identify as a cisgender, (preferring she/her pronouns), lesbian, introvert, mostly Buddhist with some Unitarian influence. Personality-wise, I have a Enneagram type 9 personality, type 1 wing, one-to-one personality structure, and INFP in the Myers-Briggs personality test.
