Katie Walker LGPC, NCC

Women's mental health is shaped by more than individual symptoms. I work with women navigating motherhood, the mental load and invisible labor of daily life, inequitable roles at home, and the changing demands of midlife. I also support women experiencing perimenopause and PMDD, attending to the relationship between hormonal fluctuations, mood, and daily functioning. My ongoing supervised training in menstrual and hormone-informed care deepens this work.

ADHD in women often goes unrecognized, especially when years of overcompensating have made the struggle less visible to others. You may have learned to work twice as hard, hold yourself to impossible standards, or blame yourself for difficulties that finally make sense through the lens of ADHD. I help women understand how ADHD affects their daily functioning, relationships, and sense of self, particularly when receiving a diagnosis in adulthood changes how they understand their past.

Anxiety doesn't always look like panic or obvious worry. Sometimes it looks like overthinking every decision, anticipating everyone else's needs, or feeling responsible for keeping everything running smoothly. I work with women who are exhausted by perfectionism, self-criticism, and the pressure to get everything right. Together, we examine the patterns keeping you stuck and develop ways to respond to difficult thoughts and feelings without letting them run your life.

I incorporate DBT-informed skills when clients need practical ways to manage intense emotions, tolerate distress, communicate their needs, or navigate difficult relationships. These tools complement my work with ACT by helping clients respond more intentionally rather than reacting automatically. I focus on making the skills relevant to everyday situations, so clients can use what we discuss in therapy when it matters most.

I've completed Brainspotting Phase 1 training and additional Expansion Brainspotting training. Brainspotting offers a way to explore experiences that may be difficult to access or put into words through conversation alone. I integrate it when appropriate, attending to each client's pace and sense of safety. My goal is to help clients approach difficult experiences with curiosity and compassion rather than pressure to explain or resolve everything at once.

ACT is central to my practice. I've completed intensive training with Dr. Steven Hayes, who developed ACT, including ACT Immersion and ACT Bootcamp EU, plus additional training in ACT for perfectionism. I help clients relate differently to difficult thoughts and emotions, develop psychological flexibility, and make choices guided by their values rather than fear, self-criticism, or the pressure to get everything right. The goal isn't to eliminate discomfort, but to live more fully alongside it.