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MEET KATIE
Welcome to Firefly! I specialize in relationships, sexual health, and creativity. I work with humans across the sexuality and gender spectrums, couples in monogamous and non-monogamous systems, and artists/makers who feel lost or blocked in their creative pursuits. Scroll down for more on my areas of expertise, or click here for treatment options and services.
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Scope of Practice
Specialty areas in sex and relationships:
What is sexual empowerment?
A sexually empowered person is connected to their sexual self. That means they understand their needs, wants, and desires without shame or blame, and can communicate them to a partner. They can be rejected without taking it personally, and can respect the physical and sexual boundaries of others, even when they differ from their own. In therapy, sexual empowerment work means looking at the forces that hold us back from stepping fully into ourselves, most importantly shame and body dissatisfaction, in order to explore what truly activates desire, what individual sexual needs are, and how to satisfy them in safe, healthy, and hopefully exciting ways. Sexual empowerment isn't just about sex - it is about feeling at home in your body.
Other specialty areas:
How do you handle creativity in counseling/ coaching? If you are an artist/ maker, you are well aware of the ups and downs of the creative process. In counseling, we explore anything and everything that might be getting in the way of making of the work you dream of making. Obstacles can encompass so much, from shame, to worthiness, to anxiety, and many other pesky little intruders. We will also explore your natural rhythms when it comes to making your work in order to enhance and protect your process. This work is fun, playful, and dreamy. It's about rewriting old stories you tell yourself about your work, looking with new, fresh eyes at your process, and boosting your connection to those magical muses so you can be the artist/maker you dream of becoming.
- Sexual empowerment
- Couples therapy
- Desire Discrepancy
- Reclaiming pleasure
- Sexual abuse/ trauma recovery
- Erectile concerns
- Low libido / libido that feels "out-of-control"
- Navigating ethical non-monogamy/ open relationships
- Pain during sex
- Coping with fertility concerns
- Sexual expression, including fetishes/ kink
- Body dissatisfaction / shame
- Sexual and gender identity exploration
What is sexual empowerment?
A sexually empowered person is connected to their sexual self. That means they understand their needs, wants, and desires without shame or blame, and can communicate them to a partner. They can be rejected without taking it personally, and can respect the physical and sexual boundaries of others, even when they differ from their own. In therapy, sexual empowerment work means looking at the forces that hold us back from stepping fully into ourselves, most importantly shame and body dissatisfaction, in order to explore what truly activates desire, what individual sexual needs are, and how to satisfy them in safe, healthy, and hopefully exciting ways. Sexual empowerment isn't just about sex - it is about feeling at home in your body.
Other specialty areas:
- Creativity
- Imagination
- Grief and loss
- Spiritual seeking
- Shame
- Anxiety
- Life transitions
- Parenting
- Complex developmental trauma (otherwise known as childhood trauma)
- Self-harm
How do you handle creativity in counseling/ coaching? If you are an artist/ maker, you are well aware of the ups and downs of the creative process. In counseling, we explore anything and everything that might be getting in the way of making of the work you dream of making. Obstacles can encompass so much, from shame, to worthiness, to anxiety, and many other pesky little intruders. We will also explore your natural rhythms when it comes to making your work in order to enhance and protect your process. This work is fun, playful, and dreamy. It's about rewriting old stories you tell yourself about your work, looking with new, fresh eyes at your process, and boosting your connection to those magical muses so you can be the artist/maker you dream of becoming.
Education
I am a social worker by education, license, and experience in the field. To me, this means that I seek to understand my clients in the greater context of their lives, how their experiences, relationships, and the systems around them impact how they move through the world.
I received my master's degree in social work from NYU Silver School of Social Work in 2014. I have a bachelor's degree in liberal arts (history, education, and art) from Hamilton College (2011). I also hold an MFA in fiction writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts (2020). Additional trainings and certifications are listed below.
I received my master's degree in social work from NYU Silver School of Social Work in 2014. I have a bachelor's degree in liberal arts (history, education, and art) from Hamilton College (2011). I also hold an MFA in fiction writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts (2020). Additional trainings and certifications are listed below.
Influences
I am an expressly feminist therapist. To me, this means that I invite feminist and queer theory into the room. That I believe in equal opportunities for everyone, across the intersecting spectrums of race, socio-economic status, sexuality, gender, and other identity markers. It means that I do not condone discrimination within the walls of my office, and will challenge clients to confront privilege, as I am in my own parallel process of confronting mine. I will do this gently, with curiosity, grace and compassion for subtly and not-so-subtly embedded beliefs and perceptions. Most importantly, I believe there are as many ways of being as there are people on this Earth, and that none of them are right or wrong or better or worse - they just are.
The following are just a few sources of inspiration to me in my work, to give you a sense of who I am as a therapist and what I bring to the therapeutic relationship:
The following are just a few sources of inspiration to me in my work, to give you a sense of who I am as a therapist and what I bring to the therapeutic relationship:
- Developing insight and healing through storytelling (narrative therapy)
- Mindfulness / meditation - the practice of being present
- Interest in creative, soulful living
- Trusting and loving your body
- Mary Oliver
- Favorite recent fiction
Professional Experience prior to Firefly
Howard Center
- Interventionist: provided direct care support to child in residential treatment and community settings
- Crisis Stabilization Clinician: provided therapy and case management support to families and children following mental health crisis in an inpatient setting
- Family Counselor: provided in-home family counseling and case management on an intensive basis
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: worked on the breast cancer service, with clients moving into life after cancer, and with loved ones who had lost someone to cancer
- Greenpoint YMCA Y Scholars Program: provided case management and counseling to at-risk teens through a goal-oriented framework
Trainings & Certifications
SAR (Sexual Attitude Reassessment) certification with Bianca Laureano and Goody Howard
Member of Esther Perel's Sessions Community for Couples Therapists
Reiki Certified - Level 2
ARC: Attachment, Regulation, and Competency
TF-CBT: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CGT: Childhood Traumatic Grief
CAMS: Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality
I use my writer hat in my therapy office on a regular basis, especially when it comes to understanding and revising stories we tell to others and to ourselves.
Member of Esther Perel's Sessions Community for Couples Therapists
Reiki Certified - Level 2
ARC: Attachment, Regulation, and Competency
TF-CBT: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CGT: Childhood Traumatic Grief
CAMS: Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality
I use my writer hat in my therapy office on a regular basis, especially when it comes to understanding and revising stories we tell to others and to ourselves.