Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan McAtee.
Hi Megan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I launched Per Aspera Counseling in April 2025 after a long and hilariously winding career path. My journey began at the University of Kansas, where I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication with an emphasis in Graphic Design in 2009. After graduation, I spent a sun-soaked chapter in Southern California, living in Cardiff-by-the-Sea and San Diego before heading up to Los Angeles. There, I worked as a graphic designer, including designing movie posters and contributing to the Los Angeles Film Festival — a dream career in many ways, but also the beginning of a deeper questioning of what I truly wanted from my work and life.
Eventually, I stepped away from that world entirely and took what I now see as a deeply healing sabbatical — living on my family’s horse ranch in Choctaw, Oklahoma, and earning my private pilot’s license. That season gave me space to slow down and listen more closely to myself. Still unsure of my next direction, I took a corporate photography job in Oklahoma City, which eventually led me to Houston, Texas. I arrived just two days before Hurricane Harvey hit — a fitting welcome to a city that would become an important part of my transformation.
In Houston, I worked in corporate communications and quickly realized that I was more drawn to mentoring and supporting my team than to the work itself. I enrolled in the Executive Leadership Coaching program at Rice University and became an ICF-certified Life Coach. Coaching lit a fire in me — I loved the one-on-one work, the trust, the growth — but I wanted more: deeper training, more tools, and a framework that could hold the full complexity of what clients were bringing.
During the pandemic, I relocated to Austin and continued working full-time in corporate design and photography while beginning graduate school part-time. I earned my Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in December of 2024, after 3.5 years of night classes, weekend practicums, and relentless commitment. It was one of the most demanding and rewarding experiences of my life.
Around the same time, I also began a deeply personal journey: I became an egg donor for my best friend and her husband. After multiple IVF cycles and a lot of collective hope and effort, they welcomed a healthy baby boy — who I now get to watch grow up here in Lawrence, Kansas. I moved back to be close to their family and to build roots in a community I’ve always loved.
Today, I feel incredibly fortunate to be doing the work I was always meant to do. I hope to continue growing my practice and, eventually, to pursue training as a Jungian Analyst. Until then, I’m just deeply grateful to be here — living and working in Lawrence, and holding space for others as they move through the difficult and beautiful work of becoming.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all — but the challenges have shaped me as much as the work itself. Entering the field of mental health without a background in psychology was intimidating. I vividly remember doubting whether I was “smart enough” to go to graduate school — a thought that honestly makes me laugh now. I juggled full-time work while attending graduate school part-time, all during the peak of the pandemic. On top of that, I completed multiple rounds of IVF as an egg donor for close friends, bought my first home, and moved across states. It was a lot — and that’s an understatement.
The final stretch of my program was especially intense. For about 18 months, I worked seven days a week — managing my corporate job Monday through Friday and seeing clients on weekends in a Kansas City clinic to earn my Practicum and Internship hours. When I finally graduated in December 2024 and left my corporate career behind, I entered a 10-day silent meditation retreat — my way of decompressing, processing, and transitioning into this new chapter.
Launching my private practice earlier this year was a deeply rewarding, but mostly solo endeavor. I stumbled through every step — from gaining licensure to setting up systems to navigating the insurance maze. I made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I trusted that I’d figure it out. One of the more frustrating aspects has been working with insurance companies, which can feel like an uphill battle. But making therapy more accessible is a core value of mine, so I’m committed to staying in-network and reducing the financial burden for my clients. It hasn’t been smooth — but it’s been worth every bump.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At my private psychotherapy practice in downtown Lawrence, Kansas, I specialize in working with adults navigating anxiety, trauma, life transitions, identity exploration, and neurodiversity. My approach is integrative and collaborative — blending modalities like EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Jungian-informed work, and mindfulness-based practices to meet each client where they are. I hold a deep belief in the resilience and wisdom each person carries, even when life feels overwhelming or directionless. What sets my work apart is my commitment to holding space for the full complexity of a person’s experience — including those whose identities, relationships, or neurotypes might not fit into traditional frameworks. I’m proud to offer a practice that is trauma-informed, neurodivergent-affirming, and identity-affirming across gender, sexuality, and cultural lines. Whether I’m helping someone reconnect with their sense of purpose, move through grief, or unlearn old patterns rooted in survival, my goal is to support meaningful, lasting transformation — not just symptom relief. I want people to know that therapy doesn’t have to be clinical or distant; it can be warm, curious, and even creative. What I’m most proud of is the trust my clients place in me, and the way my practice has grown through authentic connection, one client at a time.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Absolutely, I wouldn’t be where I am without the support, encouragement, and mentorship of so many people. This journey has been anything but solo. First and foremost, I’m deeply grateful to Dr. Michael Kampschaefer of Oklahoma City, my first therapist, who not only helped me grow personally but also encouraged me professionally. His guidance, belief in me, and generous letter of recommendation were pivotal in my decision to pursue graduate school.
Another formative figure was Dr. Holly Tompson, Director of Coaching Excellence at Landit, Inc. and the architect of the CoachRICE program at Rice University. Her leadership and support helped launch my initial path into the helping professions, and she played a significant role in helping me see the potential I had to offer others.
Since then, I’ve been fortunate to find an incredible community of fellow counselors and clinicians — especially in Lawrence and Kansas City — who have cheered me on, shared wisdom, and helped me feel grounded during both the intense grad school years and the early days of launching my practice.
And finally, I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to my current therapist, Dr. Francis Manley, a gifted psychotherapist and Jungian Analyst based in Kansas City. His insight, depth, and presence have shaped both my personal growth and my work as a clinician in profound ways.
This work is deeply relational, and I’m endlessly thankful for the people who’ve poured into me — personally and professionally — along the way.
Pricing:
- Self-pay: $150/session
- Insurance: Copays typically $20-$40/session
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/megan-mcatee-lawrence-ks/1469936
- Other: https://www.peraspera.care/
