Katelyn McGowan

ATR-BC, LCAT #002322

Trauma

Emotional Regulation

Attachment & Interpersonal Relationships

Supervised By: Dina Palma, LCAT #000452

Client Focus: Adults, Trauma Survivors, Domestic Violence Survivors, Sexual Assault Survivors

Specialties: Trauma, PTSD, attachment and interpersonal relationships, emotional regulation, domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse, childhood trauma, self-esteem issues

Treatment Methods: Art Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Solution-Focused Therapy

Katelyn McGowan is a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist and Board-Certified Art Therapist who specializes in supporting clients who are open to doing the work of therapy and willing to explore new ways of approaching life's challenges. With specialized training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and experience working with all forms of trauma, she creates safe, nonjudgmental spaces where clients feel supported and truly seen. Katelyn is passionate about helping clients explore their past to better understand how attachments, relationships, and behaviors develop, and is particularly interested in how the brain works and how our patterns form, supporting clients in gaining insight and creating meaningful change in their lives.

Her therapeutic approach integrates art therapy with Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Solution-Focused techniques. Katelyn believes the dynamic nature of humans and the way they think, process, and respond demonstrate the importance of a personalized and adaptable therapeutic approach. Her mission is to guide clients in exploring and understanding the intricacies of their brains and their remarkable capacity for change. Together, she uses creative methods to rewire and refire the brain, improving reasoning, emotional control, engagement, confidence, and outlook on life. The journey to self-improvement may seem daunting and lonely, but much like creating art, the process can be just as rewarding as reaching your end goal.

With a Bachelor's and Master's in Clinical Art Therapy and Counseling from LIU Post, Katelyn is a licensed and board-certified art therapist who completed Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy training. When she initially started considering herself as an artist, her inner critic turned into a judgmental perfectionist, preventing her from getting started or finishing most things. This struggle became even more intense when she broke her dominant hand and needed surgery. While teaching herself how to paint and draw with her left hand, she learned that her art was not defined by how good it looked but by how good it felt. Her canvas and the story it tells are greater than the "mistakes" she thought she was making, a lesson that has ensured she routinely practices what she preaches.

Outside the therapy room, Katelyn enjoys painting, drawing, traveling, hiking, and anything outdoors.

  • Brain-Based Understanding of Trauma
    Katelyn is particularly interested in how the brain works and how our patterns form. Triggers from trauma can go undetected or normalized and can significantly impact the quality of one's life. Through psychoeducation and trauma-informed processing, she brings awareness to responses that may be unconscious or automatic. In learning how to navigate symptoms, clients begin to better manage complex emotions and reactions, increase autonomy, and enhance psychological and physiological safety.

  • Attachment as Foundation
    The way we form relationships is based upon our concepts of attachment with parents and caretakers in childhood. Our relationships in childhood predetermine how we expect the world to respond to us, the way in which it works, and how we recreate familial dynamics in future relationships. Katelyn believes having a healthy attachment style with a therapist can benefit clients through having a secure and consistent base of new expectations and goals for future relationships, working together to identify personal needs in order to feel secure within yourself and with others.

  • Process Over Perfection
     Through her own experience of breaking her dominant hand and learning to create with her non-dominant hand, Katelyn deeply understands that our work is not defined by how good it looks but by how good it feels. We are each unique individuals from all walks of life with different views, even if we're peering through the same window. Our experiences are as unique and ever-evolving as is the way our brains respond to them.

"I am passionate about providing a safe, nonjudgmental space where clients feel supported and truly seen. I do this work because I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to process their story, discover their strengths, and step into their full potential. My hope is that through our work together, clients gain deeper self-awareness, healing, and the ability to create more meaningful connections in their lives."

- Katelyn McGowan, ATR-BC, LCAT