About Kate

My Clients
I work individually with adults ages 18 and older. My clients are first timers in therapy or have come back to therapy to work on issues previous talk therapy couldn’t resolve.
I consider myself an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community and welcome clients from all backgrounds, ethnicities, races, and cultures.
Education
Training
My interest in trauma and recovery runs deep. My first writing projects involved collaborating on the memoirs of a survivor of Stalin’ labor camps during WWII, Dr. Janusz Bardach.
He was further traumatized after the war when he found out that his Jewish family and friends had been murdered during the Holocaust. His memoirs reveal his fierce determination to not only survive the camps but to thrive afterwards. He made up for the lost years by becoming a reconstructive surgeon and, ultimately, a world-renowned expert in the repair of cleft lip and palate and other facial deformities.
Working as a writer and developmental editor for 20 years, I came to love the relationships I developed with my writing clients. So in 2014 I got a master’s degree in social work so I could become a psychotherapist.
During my internship training I met my other mentor, the late Virgil Gooding, LISW. An African American therapist, he taught me how to be sensitive to the chasm of life experience between myself as a privileged white therapist and my clients of color. Our conversations about systemic racism inform my practice with all my clients.
My Style
My office is spacious and comfortable. I have 6-8 feet between my chair and the client’s, so in-person sessions are possible. Otherwise I’m happy to do phone or video sessions.
My style is flexible. I’ll interact with you and give you as much direction as you need. For those who prefer to lead the session or need moments of silence, I can give you that space, too. I’ll check in with you often so you can let me know how you need me to be.
In my life and in therapy people perceive me as genuine, kind, and creative, and deeply invested in my vocation as a therapist.
There is much of Janusz and Virgil in my therapy. Their joyful love of life and personal strength are the heart and soul of my practice.
Janusz and Virgil taught me how to reclaim my vitality and personal power.
When you’re ready I can help you reclaim yours.
Call or text 319.930.7699

Kathleen Gleeson Counseling Iowa City Therapist psychotherapy loss trauma PTSD EMDR office stairs

Kathleen Gleeson Counseling Iowa City Therapist psychotherapy loss trauma PTSD EMDR office bookcase

Feel free to contact me or text me at 319.930.7699 to find out if we might be a good fit.