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Thanks so much for stopping by!

I am Katie Collins. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Michigan, and love working with women who want to understand, organize, and manage their minds to create amazing, constructive shifts in their lives (It is absolutely possible!).

About Me

I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2011 from Ohio State University, and my Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling in 2013 from Bowling Green State University.

I began my career in mental health in 2013 at a community agency, where I provided therapy to adolescents, adults, couples, families, and groups.  I provided treatment for a vast array of mental health diagnoses and populations, and was fortunate to learn from some of the most seasoned therapists at the time.

I later transitioned to a corporate mental health role, in which I was able to provide short term, non-clinical mental health services to companies and corporations.  My team offered short-term counseling and coaching, management consultation, crisis debriefings, and corporate trainings. 

I returned to full-time clinical therapy in 2019 in a private practice setting and opened my very own practice in September 2020, during the pandemic!  Since my transition to private practice, I’ve built a specialized framework through which I work with clients. 

When I am not working in or on my business, you can find me spending time with my wonderfully patient husband and our two dog sons, Scout and Charlie.  My husband and I have taken on the never-ending task of renovating our older home, which is what we spend much of our free time thinking about and doing!  I am a shameless, obsessed girl-aunt, and love spending time with my chaotic and hilarious family.  I also enjoy cooking, tidying/organizing, playing intramural sports, and trying new restaurants.

 

My Philosophy

Our brains offer us between 40-60,000 thoughts daily. Our thoughts drive our emotions, which inform our actions.  Our lives are the culmination of each and every choice we make, minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, day-by-day. 

If our belief systems (thought patterns) are mainly comprised of healthy, helpful, reasonable thoughts, we generally feel positive emotions choose healthy actions, and we are in great shape! 

Many of us, however, become extremely well-practiced at thinking unhealthy, unhelpful, unreasonable thoughts.  Unhelpful thinking drives painful emotions.  And when we are in emotional pain, we do not typically engage in behaviors that serve us well; instead, we use behaviors we know will numb or distract us from our pain as quickly as possible.  Examples of these behaviors include (but are not limited to):

  • Control-seeking

  • Ruminating/Overthinking

  • Overdrinking

  • Drug use

  • Disordered eating

  • Oversleeping

  • Excessive exercise

  • Perfectionism

  • Anger outbursts

  • Isolating from others

  • Blaming others for our suffering

  • Codependency

  • Electronic/social media overuse

  • Excessive spending

  • Sexual deviance

The list goes on!  And while these behaviors may temporarily relieve some of the pain we have in our lives, we experience continued suffering by choosing these behaviors over and over.  This pattern ultimately leads to many of the presenting issues my clients are facing when they come to me: depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, complicated grief, relationship strain, confusion/overwhelm/indecision, etc.   

I believe that it is our responsibility to take ownership of the patterns we have maintained in our lives and work to change them in ways that lead to fulfilling behaviors and relationships that serve us and the world around us.  Doing so requires a thorough, systematic approach to understanding how these patterns are created and sustained, and what the heck to do about it!

Unfortunately, many types of therapy are not effective long-term: you talk about your concerns in detail with your therapist each session.  Your therapist nods and offers some suggestions, and you develop a plan of action to change the situation.  You are hopeful and feel better for a moment, but your concerns always find a way to resurface (dang!).  You beat yourself up, and wonder why you can't get it right...everyone else seems to!  

Why do you still feel like a hot mess all the time?!  

I want to teach you how to UNDERSTAND and successfully manage the root cause of your concerns, and not just put band-aids on them.

My expertise is in working with women (just like you!) who want to understand themselves, their relationships, and their lives in a way that makes total sense.  I help women understand, organize, manage their minds and mental health, develop compassion for themselves and others, and finally start loving how they are showing up in their lives.

If you are ready to do the work to finally create the life you have been hoping for, let's chat! We will work together to identify your goals, and I will help you learn the concepts and the tools you need to successfully manage your life, relationships, and mental health for good. 

And, we will have some fun along the way!  Looking forward to connecting :)

Interested in working together?