Katie Richardson

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy with Katie

My Style

I strive to live my values through my practice; those of connection, compassion, social equity, authenticity, integrity, inclusion, collaboration, and safety. While I am ever-mindful of professional ethics, I am not very formal. I loathe power differentials and do my best to minimize them within the therapeutic relationship. I offer a friendly, flexible, tailored approach to suit your needs and personality. My therapy is neurodivergence-affirming, trauma-informed, culturally-responsive, and socially-just.

Therapeutic Modalities

I provide ADHD-adapted (or ADHD-accommodating) therapy, pulling from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Internal Family System (IFS) therapy, Person-Centered Therapy (PCT), and other humanistic modalities. While I received training in traditional Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in grad school, I prefer the “third wave” approaches (ACT, DBT) because I find the emphasis on acceptance and mindfulness more ND-affirming than the CBT “change your thoughts and feelings” approach.

Presenting Issues

I am specializing in providing support for ADHD; however, I am happy to see folks for any of the following issues:

Anxiety

Depression

Social Anxiety

Interpersonal Struggles

Relationship Issues

LGBTQ+ Issues

Identity

Life Transitions

Stress Management

Burnout

Grief/Bereavement

Anger Management

Trauma

Suicide Ideation

Parenting Issues

Mental wellness as it relates to living with or being a caregiver for someone with life-threatening food allergies

Personal Growth

The Type of Support I can Provide for ADHD

Community resources

Evidence-based psychoeducation as it relates to ADHD, its treatment, and ways it may be accommodated

ADHD screenings

Guidance and support finding a formal assessment that is most accessible to you

Symptom/needs assessment

The development of ADHD-affirming, collaborative behavioural strategies to navigate executive dysfunction (including emotional dysregulation) and strategies to modify your environment to suit your brain

A space to process internalized ableism, often manifesting as feelings of guilt and shame

Space to process secondary or comorbid conditions like anxiety, depression, social anxiety, trauma, etc.

With your consent, collaboration with your doctors or other health care professionals

What about ADHD coaching?

ADHD-adapted therapy is inclusive of ADHD coaching (i.e., executive functioning coaching) techniques, but with less frequent contact than an ADHD coach might offer. For instance, we may meet once a week, whereas an ADHD coach might follow-up on goals several times per week. ADHD coaching is specific to executive functioning strategies, while therapy focuses on overall wellbeing.

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