Kate Mageau

About Kate

My approach

My key values are social justice, curiosity, and empowerment. I bring these values to my life, and to therapy, through: Feminist therapy: understanding power dynamics Existential therapy: processing trauma as its relevant to your current life Narrative therapy: rewriting how you view yourself and your life, in your words ACT Therapy: metacognition

About me

I am a mental health counselor/therapist, but first I was an IPV/DV survivor. I went to support groups at a DV advocacy agency, and I loved the experience so much that a few years later I returned to run the groups as a volunteer. I became a therapist to support other survivors, queer people, and neurodivergent people <3

More background

What was your path to becoming a therapist? What inspired you to choose this profession?

I am a mental health counselor/therapist, but first I was an IPV/DV survivor. I went to support groups at a DV advocacy agency, and I loved the experience so much that a few years later I returned to run the groups as a volunteer. This inspired me to become a therapist, and now I counsel IPV/DV survivors and run counseling support groups. I help people understand what happened, and empower them to find their self-esteem to move forward. I also wrote Rose-Colored Glasses, a memoir about my IPV experience. After every chapter there is a psychological explanation of the warning signs as they occurred at the time.

What would be important for someone to know about working with you?

I write books and create resources to help toxic relationship survivors! Rose Colored Glasses teaches about toxic relationships through story, with psychological explanations written by a therapist after every chapter. Available everywhere books are sold, including Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. The Healing from Toxic Relationships Workbook and course teach people about the psychological components of toxic relationships and help people heal and feel empowered in their next relationships. I also love helping people write their memoirs; it's such a powerful tool for healing. https://www.katemageau.com/books

In what ways do your life philosophy and treatment philosophy overlap?

My key values are social justice, curiosity, and empowerment. I bring these values to my life and to counseling:

Through life: My friends in school to become a therapist nicknamed me "AdvoKate" and I absolutely melted. I do advocate for people, and I also show people how to advocate for themselves. I have a lot of advocacy passions, though some are: DV, SA, BLM, LGBTQ+, personal body autonomy, and climate change. I organized phone banks and canvases for, and was a precinct delegate for Bernie Sanders; I went to the CHOP almost every day; and I have spoken at city council meetings; as well as attended other protests, marches and activities.

I stay on top of the news and I find ways to help whenever I can. I believe finding even small ways to give and advocate for change can be incredibly therapeutic and empowering. Though, I also like to remind people to put their own mental health first and to find that balance. We must always put our own life jackets first and take care of our own needs, before we can help others. Once we're ready, though, it can make us feel so strong, connected, and alive.

Through therapy:

Feminist therapy: (Social justice and Empowerment) I love feminist therapy because it is for all genders and all people: It analyzes power structures and their effects upon people. Each person's intersectional identity, along with their unique lived experience, is differently affected by the current politics and systemic structures. This model helps frame issues to show that they are likely externally caused, which can remove feelings of self-blame. It also uses education, advocacy, and strength-building to encourage self empowerment.

Existential therapy: (Curiosity and Empowerment) Finding meaning, direction, and purpose in life can be some of the greatest sources of anxieties for a person. Existential therapy looks at a person as a whole, in a humanistic context, to look at all the factors affecting a person and how those manifest into anxiety. It centers on deep, introspective discussions to help a person learn how to search for answers to meaning in life, to choose the way they want to live, and help people find connectedness to the world - ultimately reducing anxiety.

Narrative therapy: (Social Justice, Curiosity, and Empowerment) Society, our families of origin, and negative relationships can create narratives that people can inadvertently retain as self-talk and otherwise truth. Narrative therapy helps us deconstruct those narratives and look at other ways people can write the stories of their lives -- those they tell themselves and share with others. Fun, insightful, and empowering activities (not all involve writing!) can encourage clients to see their strengths and positive experiences in life, to make decisions to lead the lives they desire.

Work history

Hi! I'm Kate (she/her), it's nice to meet you!

I'm a licensed therapist in private practice offering therapy, coaching, ADHD and Autism Assessments, Gender-Affirming Letters, and Emotional Support Animal letters. I specialize in ADHD, autism, toxic relationships, and working with LGBGTQIA+ people. As an ADHDer, lesbian, and domestic violence survivor, I bring both clinical expertise and lived experience to my work. I wrote Rose-Colored Glasses and the Healing from Toxic Relationships Workbook to help people heal from toxic relationships outside of the therapy room, and have a CE course for therapists: Helping Your Clients Heal from Toxic Relationships, and a training on conducting ADHD and Autism Assessments. Before becoming a therapist I worked in corporate training and instructional design, education, youth work, and community advocacy, so I bring a lot of different lived experiences to my work.

Work History: *Therapist in private practice: I offer therapy, coaching, ADHD and Autism Assessments, and Gender-Affirming Letters *Wrote Rose Colored Glasses, and the Healing from Toxic Relationships Workbook, both to help people heal from toxic relationships * Teach other therapists Continuing Education courses on Helping Your Clients Heal from Toxic Relationships, and a course on helping other therapists do ADHD and Autism Assessments *Working with domestic violence/intimate partner violence survivors, sexual assault survivors, physical assault survivors, trauma survivors * Ran domestic violence/intimate partner violence survivor support groups for New Beginnings * Helped high school students find scholarships and internships, and taught how to write college essays * Restaurant server * Worked with middle school youth at YMCA, taught socio-enrichment classes * Corporate trainer and instructional designer * Worked at group home for high schoolers in the criminal justice system

Specialties

Types of therapy

Who Kate works with

Ages

Teens (14-19), Adults, Elders (65+)

Communities

LGBTQ+, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Non-Binary, BIPOC, Black / African American, Latino / Hispanic, Asian American, Indigenous / Native American, Immigrant, Neurodivergent, People with Disabilities, Sex Worker Allied, Body Positive, Open Relationships / Non-Monogamy, Single Parents

Languages

English

Education and training

Master of Science in Counselor Education, specializing in Clinical Mental Health Counseling,

Florida International University, 2022

Bachelor of Science in Applied Developmental Psychology, Eastern Washington University, 2006

Certifications

ADHD-CCSP (ADHD Certified Clinical Services Provider

WA Domestic Violence Certification