Exploring Life & Business with Katie Kirkenmeier of Katie Kirkenmeier Therapy, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Kirkenmeier.

Hi Katie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I first became a therapist, I worked exclusively with survivors of sexual violence for the first seven years of my career. I was very passionate about working in trauma and still really enjoy that work. However, when my husband and I began trying to grow our family we struggled with infertility. As a therapist I had a very difficult time finding another therapist who I wasn’t having to educate on the process of infertility treatments and I found myself frustrated with not feeling understood. We were fortunate enough to get pregnant and have two children with the help of IVF and during my first postpartum experience I struggled with postpartum anxiety. I remember family members being concerned about me and I would tell them I wasn’t depressed, I knew what depression was and felt like and that wasn’t what I was experiencing. At the time I remember being shocked to find out there were other perinatal mood and anxiety disorders than postpartum depression and I found myself thinking, if I has a somewhat seasoned therapist didn’t know about PMADs (perinatal mood and anxiety disorders) then there’s definitely a need to help other women in this area because I know I’m not alone. From there I decided to open up my practice as therapist where I now specialize in working with those experiencing infertility and in the perinatal period of their lives.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Before I started my own practice I worked in a few different settings both in community. mental health and in a group private practice. My first experience with private practice was a bit rough. I found myself feeling like I was on an island and even though I was in a group, I felt very alone and was kind of fending for myself. That was a concern I had when opening up my own practice was that I would feel really isolated. However, I feel really fortunate to have met some incredible people along the way who have been so helpful to lean on and bounce ideas off of as I was building my business. The perinatal community is really welcoming and we all have the same end goal, which is to help women feel more supported. The other perinatal therapists and perinatal professionals I’ve had the honor of working with have made me feel like we’re all on the island together.

As you know, we’re big fans of Katie Kirkenmeier Therapy, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Katie Kirkenmeier Therapy is a private practice that serves individuals, couples, and groups. I provide mental health therapy for those experiencing primary infertility, secondary infertility, pregnancy, and/or perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. I also work with those who have experienced birth trauma and work with men who are experiencing postpartum mood and anxiety disorders. I specialize in infertility and am passionate about those using third party reproduction such as donor eggs, donor sperm, or adopted embryos. I am trained to provide evaluations for those interested in donating gametes or receiving donor gametes. I’m a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s mental health professionals group. I also specialize in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and am certified in perinatal mental health (PMH-C). I work with clients through the use of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Internal Family Systems, and art therapy. I am a registered Art Therapist (ATR). I really try to bring a variety of treatment approaches to my clients because what works for one client isn’t a great fit for the next. I try to meet my clients exactly where they’re at and that looks different for each client I work with.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Being a mom is one of the greatest honors of my life. I love being with my daughters and seeing them experience joy through the unfiltered lens only a child can do. I also love to read and be creative. Even though I’m an Art Therapist, I don’t always have clients who want to take me up on that treatment approach and I crave being creative outside of my practice. I love to paint and draw. I actually opened a side face painting business called Friendly Faces where I get to be creative and make kiddos smile. I think art and reading can be such wonderful ways for me to be fully present in a moment which is something that can be challenging in today’s society.

Pricing:

• Individual sessions are $140
• Couples therapy is $165
• Third party evaluations are $280
• Face painting is $100 for the first hour and $75 for subsequent hours

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.katiekirkenmeiertherapy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiektherapy/#
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574012221994#
• Other: https://www.friendlyfaceskc.com