Kathleen Cogan, M.A.,LPC
Kathleen Cogan is specialized in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, couples therapy-post affair recovery, emotional injuries and high conflict, and trauma.
As a counselor, I am curious and sensitive to each person’s unique experience. I understand the body we occupy matters. Our physical abilities, family of origin, race, class, gender, sexuality all play a part in how we understand ourselves and the world around us. While I value difference, I also believe we all have core needs. The need to be loved, accepted, seen, and felt is at the heart of being human. My approach with clients is rooted in these core needs.
I believe each client is the expert of their lives and has innate healing abilities. However, healing happens in relationship with others. Therefore my approach is co-created with my clients. I work collaborating with clients to tap into this, often, unknown innate healing reserve, and to co-create the space and therapy they need to grow, heal and explore and even play.
Practically, I am emotionally, relationally, and somatically focused. Because words can sometimes fail us and not be adequate to express our emotions, thoughts and behaviors I encourage clients to use images and to become aware of bodily sensations. I also like to make use of clients’ dreams, narratives, or stories about their lives.
With this Emotion-Focused, relational approach, I aim to help individuals and couples undo their “aloneness,” heal, and learn to live the lives and build the relationship they deserve. My training includes Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEPD). A therapy created to work with a range of individuals, particularly those that have experienced trauma or distressing events or relationships. I am trained in Emotion-Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT-C), which is a humanistic and experiential therapy based on emotion and attachment theories. It offers a systematic approach to reduce distress and conflict, and to increase tenderness and security, in loving adult relationships. EFT-C helps you to identify, understand and alter negative interaction cycles within your relationship, and to strengthen the emotional bonds that make your relationship satisfying. In addition, I am trained and utilize Gottman Couples Therapy. I get a tremendous amount of joy working with parents who want to strengthen their relationship with their children and each other. As well as any couple looking to strengthen, repair and connect more deeply and meaningfully.
I am trained in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and together we can develop a treatment plan for you and your family to all start feeling well. This includes treatment of postpartum depression and anxiety. Symptoms can include but are not limited to hopelessness, thoughts of hurting yourself and your baby, extreme irritation, bizarre and unusual thoughts, panic attacks, and problems sleeping. Developing postpartum OCD is also common. This includes having overwhelming unwanted thoughts or mental images paired with repeating behaviors to reduce the anxiety caused by these thoughts. Additionally, you and your partner may have experienced a traumatic birth which may include flashbacks to the birth which can be distressing and fuel anxiety. You are not alone and most importantly you are not to blame. With help, you and your partner can feel well and even thrive as parents.
Part of my experience includes working with clients who have diverse countries of origins, and who have various cultural and religious backgrounds. I have had the privilege of living in another country for a few years, and therefore understand the difficulties of transitioning in and out of a foreign country.
When not with clients, I enjoy attempting yoga, traveling, planning to travel, and spending meaningful time with my friends and family. I also spend a good amount of time dreaming up new ways to challenge myself. I have my eye on a beginner’s drawing class for the fall.
Kathleen Cogan, MA, LPC earned her Bachelor's degree in Feminist Studies and Political Science from Southwestern University in Georgetown and her Master’s of Arts in Counseling from Webster University Geneva in Switzerland. She has completed Level 1 training in AEPD, as well as training in Emotion-Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT-C), Gottman Couples Therapy, and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Before becoming a counselor, Kathleen worked as a community organizer and with NGOs to help solve community problems. She was led into counseling because of her passion for working directly with people one-on-one and for healthcare.
Kathleen Cogan, M.A., LPC
LPC License # 81951
$195 Individual Counseling Session
$215 Couples Counseling Session
