Hello! I’m Katya (they/she).

Reaching out for therapy takes courage, vulnerability, and a willingness to imagine that something different is possible. I know that beginning this process can often feel overwhelming, and I want to first honor you for taking this step toward healing, growth, and reconnection with yourself. I am so happy that you exist, and are considering me as your therapist. 

I work predominantly with adolescents/teens, adults, couples, and families navigating chronic and acute trauma, difficult family dynamics, neurodivergence, communication difficulties, accumulated stress, identity exploration, grief/loss, chronic illness and pain, relational/attachment wounds, life transitions, and nervous system dysregulation. Many of the people I work with are deeply intellectual, insightful and emotionally attuned to others, yet often seem to struggle to feel safe, present, grounded, connected, or fully themselves. They may feel chronically overwhelmed/flooded, dissociated, numb/emotionally guarded, in a chronic functional freeze state, persistently irritable/angry, stuck in survival mode, exhausted/emotionally depleted from years of masking, people-pleasing and/or care taking, or simply burnt out from trying to function within systems that have not adequately supported them.

I am a queer and neurodivergent identified therapist who lives with chronic illness and multiple chronic pain conditions and my lived experiences inform the deep respect, attunement and compassion I bring into the therapy room with my clients. I understand firsthand the impact of feeling misunderstood, rejected, unheard, hypervigilant, isolated, “too much,” and disconnected from your body and authentic self. My goal is to create a therapeutic space that feels collaborative, nonjudgmental, attuned, and human — a space where you do not have to perform, hide, minimize yourself, or navigate things alone.

My approach is trauma-informed, relational, attachment-focused, neurodivergent-affirming, and grounded in neurobiology and somatics. I view symptoms not as pathology, but as adaptive responses shaped by relationships, environments, systems, and survival needs. Therapy with me is not about correcting, fixing or forcing.  It is about building enough safety, flexibility, self-trust and understanding, and nervous system capacity to help you move toward a life that feels more authentic, connected, sustainable, pleasurable, and aligned with your values.

I am a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) and trained EMDR provider. Somatic Experiencing is a body- and nervous system-oriented trauma therapy that helps individuals work with patterns of fight, flight, freeze, collapse, and chronic stress held within the body. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based trauma treatment that supports the brain and nervous system in processing and integrating overwhelming experiences that continue to impact present-day functioning, relationships, identity, and felt safety. Both approaches help move therapy beyond intellectual understanding alone and support deeper healing, regulation, integration, and self-trust.

I predominantly integrate Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, Polyvagal Theory, psychodynamic/depth-oriented approaches, attachment theory, parts work/ego-state approaches, CBT, DBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Relational-Cultural Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Gestalt/Experiential work, and systemic and liberation-oriented perspectives into my practice. I often work with clients navigating developmental trauma, neglect, emotional abuse, sexual and/or religious trauma, burnout, perfectionism, chronic shame, relationship stress, identity exploration, family enmeshment, substance use, and the intersections of neurodivergence, queer/trans identity, and chronic illness/pain.

My therapeutic style is warm, direct, playful, emotionally engaged, and deeply relational. I value authenticity, self-expression, mutuality, honesty, curiosity, humor, and creating space for the full complexity of your experiences. I believe healing happens through safe-enough, attuned relationships — not through shame/guilt, performance, or pushing beyond capacity. Together we will work to understand not only what is happening, but why, and what becomes possible when your nervous system no longer has to carry everything alone.

I currently share my home with two rescue terriers named Frida and Meeko. They provide me with much-needed structure/routine, entertainment/childlike wonder, and are a constant reminder to live in the present moment and pay attention to life’s glimmers.  There's also lots of color, ceramic mugs, plants and art on the walls that you may come in virtual/visual contact with, should we share space via teleheatlh sessions. 

Outside of the office I enjoy reading for leisure preferably in a park with sunshine, enjoying music in a variety of ways, catching up on (or rewatching) my favorite shows, exploring nature with my dogs in tow, wild swimming, hot soaks/saunas, attending bodywork treatments and movement classes getting creative, and baking something sweet for loved ones. I collect hot sauce + put it on everything, have a major sweet tooth, love to travel and learn new languages, am a huge animal lover + activist and could eat both tacos and passion fruits every day.

I have been through my own trauma healing and mental health journey, and know firsthand that post-traumatic growth and becoming acquainted with your authentic self and life force is possible and that the body holds all the information for deep healing to occur. 

Now for the professional stuff:

I hold a Master of Social Work degree from New York University, with a focus in psychodynamic therapies and child and family studies, and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Approved Clinical Supervisor in the state of Oregon. My background includes work across residential and community mental health, early intervention, dual diagnosis, crisis intervention, day treatment,  housing case management, substance use/harm reduction, foster care and prevention, family systems work, outpatient therapy, and integrative trauma-focused care with infants, children, adolescents/teens, adults, couples, and families from diverse backgrounds and identities.

All of the roles I have held in the past 15 years have expanded my knowledge and experience of power dynamics and have shaped me as both a clinician and human. I believe proper access to quality mental health care and housing is a human right. 

I also believe that therapy is political and that my work with clients exists outside the one hour we share together every week. I strive daily to work against pathology, colonization and stigmatization within the neurodiversity and mental health paradigm and am open to honest dialogue around difficult subjects from a place of curiosity, humility, non-judgment and support. 

You can reach Katya directly at katya@sprouttherapypdx.com