Her Story
About Katryna
I've been in the mental health field for the past five years, and I currently work as a clinical therapist associate at an inpatient eating disorder facility, a title I've held since January, though I've been at the hospital for three years. I started my career as a registered behavior technician in ABA therapy, which got me into the field working with kids with autism and developmental disabilities. I've always loved working with children - I started as a lifeguard and taught parent-tot lessons in high school, so I've always been drawn to working with kids. I wanted to find a space that was a little more sustainable but also rewarding, and that's where I landed with therapy. I went on to get my master's in clinical mental health counseling, and now I also work at a private practice where I see a similar clientele - neurodivergent kids as well as those with eating disorders, as there's a really big overlap there. My private practice happened because I was looking for something a little bit more mine. In the hospital, we're very team-centered, and I love that, but with the private practice, I get a little more autonomy and can work a little bit slower with these kids, when maybe it takes them a little longer to trust than a typical medical system allows for. I offer sliding scale rates to make therapy more affordable, and as an associate, it's typically more affordable anyways. At the hospital, my typical day involves rounding with our psychiatrists and dietitians, and I'm responsible for seeing each of my patients twice a week and leading a couple of groups for group therapy. In my private practice, most of my younger kids I see in person in Plano, Texas, because with younger kids it's really hard to maintain attention virtually, but I have some adults and adolescents on my caseload that I do see virtually - it's really just up to the client and what would suit them best.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Katryna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I have been successful because of the various practicum, internships, and experiences and mentors over the course of my training. The wide variety of populations, ages, and levels of care I have been able to work or intern at has been supportive in giving me a well rounded education and ezperience. My family has been extremely supportive of my career and I have gotten so much support from them in this journey.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of my professors at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, offered me the advice to diversify my experience while I am under supervision so I am able to learn more and quicker with support of another professional. This has been really helpful because I worked with different ages, populations, and settings to gain knowledge and experience before defining my niche.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Definitely look for as many different opportunities as possible. I think counselors get really stuck in, "I want to work with kids only, or I want to work with adults only", or things like that. In my practicum and internship, I took as many opportunities as I possibly could to expand my knowledge and work with different populations so that I knew, hey, I liked this, or hey, I didn't. When you are in the beginning stages of your career, really, once you find out what you do like, hone in on a niche. Because counseling is so broad, and there are a lot of counselors, and not enough, but finding a niche or a specific population, whether that's eating disorders, substance use, families, any of those things, but finding that niche can be really supportive in growing your practice.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Everyone is talking about AI and counseling right now. While I think AI and "chat counseling" is an important topic - I just can't see this field leaning away from the human touch that AI cannot provide. So a challenge and an opportunity is AI and how we use it for good. AI can really support professionals in note taking but again, I think the challenge will be, how do we implement use of this technology while still maintaining the human factor that comes with therapy.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I really value honesty and integrity in my work and personal lives. I believe being honest with clients, even if it is difficult, serves them more than not being honest. The integrity piece comes with I am always looking to learn and adapt for clients and their families to provide the best, evidence-based care possible! I also value my work life balance. I love to spend time outside and with my family and pets, so having flexibility is important to me.
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