Meet Katherine
A little bit about Katherine...
Katherine Ryan is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Family Mediator and the owner of Harmony Counseling. She found herself at a crossroads in the mid 1990s and spent some time figuring out what she wanted to do for the remainder of her life. It was clear that she wanted to help people and at first she thought the field of law would be a good fit. Then she realized that she wanted a personal connection with her clients and wanted to be able to help on an entirely different level than a lawyer. So, with the encouragement of friends and family she went back to school to complete both her undergraduate and graduate degree and finds that her decision to enter counseling and mediation field remains the best decision she has made, EVER.
- Bachelors of Arts (2002): Lesley University, Cambridge, MA with a major in Human Services
- Masters of Arts (2002): Lesley University, Cambridge, MA Double major in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School and Community Counseling
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Massachusetts
- 15+ years of experience with youth, adults and families
- Certified Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
- Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Advanced training in post-adoption support
- Advanced training in supporting parents in co-parenting while living apart
- Certified Mediator
- Certified Divorce Mediator
- Parent Coordinator
More about Katherine:
Experience: Although Katherine is a native of Massachusetts she lived in Maine for 7 years post-graduation where she was a home-based family therapist, clinical supervisor and therapist in an outpatient setting and also in a residential program. Upon returning to Massachusetts she was the Clinical Director for a large agency that provided residential, group home and community-based services to youth and their families. In 2012 she entered private practice and loves helping people become unstuck.
What kind of counselor and mediator is she?: Katherine uses an eclectic mix of modalities and interventions to meet her clients needs. Her clients find her to be warm, compassionate and caring as you would hope any therapist would be. A few things set her apart, most notably; she provides her clients with tools, gives homework and tells it like it is. Katherine specializes in helping people get unstuck; be it a behavior, way of thinking or lifestyle. She works with the adults, youth and families in Topsfield, Massachusetts and the surrounding communities.
What are Katherine’s specialties?: Katherine specializes in individual and family therapy along with family mediation including divorce mediation, couples mediating to stay married and mediation between parents and teens . She works well with people who are:
- Stuck in depression, anxiety or recovering from trauma
- Healing from divorce (both the adults and the children)
- Stuck in an unproductive way of managing anger
- Want to improve their communication skills
- Struggling to co-parent
- Creating blended families
- Changing the pattern of unhealthy relationships
- Considering or ready to begin a divorce
- Arguing with their teen about specific issues
But who is she as a person?: Her friends describe her as complex, fun and adventurous. Katherine enjoys running, horses, hiking and her work. She is very connected to her Irish heritage and less so to her French heritage. Her grandmother worked in a shoe factory in Lynn stitching soles to support her family, it makes Katherine smile to know that she also “stitches souls”. She is passionate about the rights and well-being of the most vulnerable, children and animals.
