Kathleen Joseph
she/herLicensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
Self pay costs
Out-of-pocket session costs for clients who don’t have insurance or aren’t covered by their insurance for mental health services.
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor based in Gainesville, FL and licensed to serve clients statewide across Florida. Drawing on my experience as a Black woman and training at the intersection of race and sex, I create a safe space for clients to authentically discuss their lived experiences. As a Somatic Therapy-trained practitioner, I use body-based modalities to help clients navigate trauma with greater resilience and ease. I am deeply passionate about advocating for marginalized populations, including historically oppressed racial groups and the LGBTQ+ community. I earned my M.Ed/Ed.S from the University of Florida.
I blend Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, and Narrative Therapy to offer gentle, body-centered healing. Instead of forcing you to relive past trauma, we work at your pace to respect your boundaries and honor your body. Clients can expect a safe space to untangle the past, build resilience, and feel at home in their skin.
Healing doesn't mean doing it alone or pushing past your limits. Wherever you are in your journey, your story, body, and boundaries will always be honored here. You deserve a safe space to unload what you’ve been carrying and move forward with greater ease and resilience. When you are ready to take that next step, I would be honored to walk with you.
"I’m Kathleen Joseph, and my path to becoming a therapist started by witnessing a profound truth: even the most resilient among us carry hidden hurts. Early in my career as a mental health counselor, I worked with Division I student-athletes. On the outside, these high-performing humans appear unstoppable, and are capable of leveling even the highest feats. But on the inside, many were silently carrying the burden of trauma, neglect, and systemic violence. Those early experiences changed me. It taught me that strength and suffering often walk hand in hand, and it shaped my lifelong commitment to helping people like student-athletes, who are often forgotten because they appear to have it all, to heal their deepest wounds."
Why did you decide to become a counselor or psychiatric provider?
I became a therapist because I want to help people see themselves more clearly. Being able to see myself more clearly has been a truly rewarding part of my own trauma healing.
What types of clients do you work best with?
Survivors of relational and developmental trauma.
What's one thing you wish all clients knew about therapy, mental health, or the healing process?
The client's commitment to the process of therapy is an essential component to the success of therapy. Also, therapy is more like a gym session than it is a spa session.
What can clients expect in their first session with you and in the early stages of therapy?
In the first session, we dive into your reasons for starting therapy. Here, we take our discussion from your phone consultation deeper as we begin to unpack what is happening in your life. Please prepare to share your story during this session as well as what you want to get out of the process of therapy. During our first session, we might have time to review the results of the assessments that you completed prior to starting as part of the intake process.
What personal experiences or values inform your practice as a therapist/provider?
I am a trauma survivor and these lived experiences inform my practice as a therapist. As a result, I utilized a trauma informed approach which shifts the question from "What is wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?" This is a radical shift as this elevates our intrinsic strengths and leads to a less pathologizing therapy process. I also recognize how deeply past trauma affects a person's behavior, emotions, and sense of safety and I use this knowledge throughout the process of therapy.
How do you tailor therapy to meet each client’s unique needs?
I meet each client where they are at by establishing a relationship based on curiosity and compassion, and then using that throughout the process of therapy. Since no two people are exactly alike, I tailor therapy based on the needs of the person in front of me, regardless of their story.
- Years in practice
- 18 years
- Graduating institute
- University of Florida
- Graduating degree
- Master's of Education/Education Specialist in Mental Health Counseling
