Katherine Donahue, LISW

People generally seek therapy because they want some aspect of their life to be different and change can be hard sometimes. Katherine loves working with people courageous enough to face whatever it is that's in need of changing. She particularly loves working with those brave souls trying out counseling for the first time! Prior to joining the Counseling & Health Center, Katherine was employed with the University of Iowa's Counseling Service (UCS), providing mental health and case management services to college students. She's had the privilege of meeting amazing students from all walks of life and they are a client population she genuinely loves. Katherine intentionally chose to join a private practice agency close to campus to maintain that connection with students.

Prior to UCS, Katherine was a trauma and emergency surgery social worker at the University of Iowa Hospital where it hit home for her how life can change dramatically in an instant. It's where she developed her crisis counseling skills and supporting clients, and their families, in their recovery from life changing trauma injuries and unexpected surgeries. When Katherine was just five years old, she firmly decided she was going to be an art teacher; got her degree and was an art teacher; then an art gallery business owner; a professional artist. At one time, she wondered if she was being called to join a monastery, but during a "light-bulb moment" where she realized the only male she'd ever see would be the priest offering mass, she quickly chose to get a Master's Degree in Religious Studies instead! In Katherine's work as a therapist, she thinks it's important to make the distinction between "religion" and "spirituality." If either or both are important to you, she'd be honored to support you in that journey without any desire to change who you are.

Katherine has a second Master's Degree in Social Work, with advanced licensure as an "LISW" or Licensed Independent Social Worker. She greatly values her multidisciplinary degrees and background as they afford her different lenses and methods to approach client concerns, using Solution-Focused and Strength-Based Therapies, Existential Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral and Mindfulness Therapies, elements of Internal Family Systems Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, etc. Stress and anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, new adjustments or life-transitions, self-identity and development, family of origin issues, recovering from trauma, grief or personal losses are just some of the presenting concerns she typically works with. Currently, Katherine sees clients age 18 and above and she is an in-network provider for BC/BS insurance.