About Katie Cogan
Katie Cogan is a native of Washington D.C., who grew up in Montgomery County, Prince George's County and Howard County. After receiving a BA in Graphic Design at American University, she turned her attention to psychology. At Loyola University in Baltimore, she received an MA in Counseling Psychology with honors and was a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu honor society. She also earned a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Pastoral Counseling. She has made presentations at prestigious academic and health institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Toronto International Conference on Psychology and Sprituality and the National Association of Social Workers. She is a board-approved supervisor in Maryland and Virginia, serving as a mentor to therapists starting their careers. She specializes in in PTSD, reactive attachment disorder, developmental trauma, adoption/foster care issues, emotional/domestic abuse, self-harm, anxiety, and depression. A cancer survivor herself, she has advanced training in working with cancer patients and those with chronic illnesses.
My Story
I knew that I wanted to be a therapist. But it wasn't until I worked at a suicide hotline that I found my calling as a trauma therapist.
I was a single mother studying psychology in graduate school and working nights at a local crisis center. I quickly learned that people weren't calling the hotline because they wanted to die. They called because they wanted to live. On any given night, I could bring them back from the edge. But what I really wanted to do was help them find the deep-rooted problems that put them on that path in the first place.
That was more than 20 years ago. Over that time, many more experiences shaped my understanding of mental health. They included:
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Working in a D.C. residential program for pregnant homeless teens
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Providing counseling as a first responder for the Howard County Police Department,
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Counseling first responders who have personally experienced traumatic events, including Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 attacks.
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Helping victims of domestic/emotional abuse at a Montgomery County agency, including accompanying them to court hearings.
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Serving as a clinical director at multiple agencies, leading teams of therapists.
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Those experiences shaped how I approach my current practice, helping individuals, couples and families experiencing all kinds of emotional and psychological issues. They've taught me how to help untangle deep-rooted problems and help those in need of healing, giving them a reason for hope.
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My Approach
I believe that when you go through serious life events, however stressful or challenging, you can change for the better. What it takes is active listening, empathy, and unconditional acceptance.
My approach is non-judgmental and accepting of your life experience. This approach is multi-faceted and use several different forms of therapy.
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I use attachment therapy to understand how you are connected to others. Attachment therapy addresses the way a child attaches to a parent. If you experience a rupture in that attachment, it can affect you throughout your adolescence and adulthood and affect how you perceive the world and relate to those around you.
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I also use what's known as body-based psychotherapy. Emotions start in the body as a feeling, even when you're not thinking about them. Sometimes you need to visualize where in the body you're feeling that discomfort or unease related to your your life experiences. By addressing what you feel in your body, we can release the trauma and work toward healing.
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Are you struggling with the changes in your life - or with changes you want to make? I use motivational interviewing to address that. This is a collaborative conversation to explore the changes you want to make and strengthen your motivation and commitment to making that happen.
Working together, we develop a personalized approach using all three of these therapies - and others - to address the issues of concern to you.