Katie Papierniak, MEd, LCPC

Senior Psychotherapist | 32-year career

Loyola University of Chicago | Master's in Education, Community Counseling

Clinical Specialties or Interests

I like working with kids and adults with ADHD, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. I also like little kids and engaging in play therapy with them. I take a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach mixed with some dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) techniques. I deal well with complicated cases. I just meet people where they're at. It's not about a specific diagnosis or symptoms. Instead, it's about figuring out where a person needs to grow and move forward so they can have a more healthy and productive life.  

Why or how did you get interested and involved with counseling?

It's simple. Fred. When I was in high school, I was in a service group that went to Fullerton House in the city. It was a nursing home, but there were a lot of people with mental health challenges as well. I was assigned to Fred, who was very interesting. In the included audio clip, listen to Katie tell the story of Fred, the first person with schizophrenia that she had ever interacted with, and how he made such a profound impact on her life.

He was very interesting, but everybody I meet is so fascinating. I always like meeting different people. One of the great things that I learned from talking with Fred and something that helps me now as a therapist is to enter every session with genuine empathy and positive regard. It's very important to be open to hear from the client's experience without judgement. That's what I did with Fred and that's what I continue to do today.

Why have you remained passionate about counseling? What motivates you to continue each day? What keeps pulling you into it? 

My overall philosophy is that we're always in a state of becoming, that we're always becoming more of who we are meant to be. And I love learning, so I like to always keep finding new therapies, new strategies, etc. I have to be helping people, but I have to mix it up to keep doing something new. It keeps things interesting. And what's really great about YFC is that we come from different schools of thought and diverse backgrounds so I'm constantly learning from them. And that helps me provide better therapy and also helps me learn more about myself as a person. And I learn things from clients too!

How do you like to work with clients? How do you connect with them?

I work with clients first by starting to get to know them and establish a therapeutic rapport simply through talking. Sometimes it helps to give them a few skills to practice while we're in the process of getting to know each other. This is where I bring up the turtle, which is just one tool out of many. Listen to how turtles help Katie connect with clients and start their therapeutic relationship on a great note. You too can use the turtle techniques, just give the audio clip a listen!

Do you have a favorite wellness strategy that you use with clients?

The turtle is just one, but the one that I go to if I see that people are having a hard time regulating their emotions is called "riding the wave." Hear what Katie means by "riding the wave" and how to implement it in your life by listening to the included audio snippets. 

Success with clients

One of the successes I'm having on zoom is that I have a little 5 year-old girl as a client. And I've noticed that since I've let her play in her environment, talk to her, and work with the things that she has, she's been able to feel more in charge of her life and get the time that she wanted. When I came into a session too structured, it was too hard. And truly, trying to do therapy with a 5 year-old on zoom is very difficult. But overall, I've seen some great things with her.

In the context of counseling and your role, can you share any challenges that you've faced along the way and how you've managed them?

This year has been challenging for all of us, but for me, I'm not very tech-savvy so getting things up and going for teletherapy has been a bit challenging. One thing I remind myself is that people are very willing to help me! The other day, I was doing a webinar with some students, and they were able to help me out with a tech issue and it all worked out just fine. It probably helped the effectiveness of the webinar on some level too, because they could see that together we could all help each other and work through learning coping skills to manage feelings. 

What do you love about being a part of the YFC team? How would you describe YFC in a few words?

It's very supportive. I never feel alone professionally and personally. It's very collegiate. We are constantly learning together, which I love--and it's part of my philosophy of becoming. We are also challenged by each other to get out of our comfort zones, which helps us grow. And finally it's genuine. I work with real people. This has been one of the best experiences of my life. I'm with really good people, who are smart and talented.    

What is your happy place?

I like to ride trails around Lake County. I like to go early in the morning, watching the sun come up and the birds chirping. My other happy place is the Jersey shore. As a child, I would go quite often. Walking the boardwalk and hearing the waves is always so calming. 

What's one thing people might be surprised to find out about you?

In my senior year of high school, I sang Come Unto to Me from the Messiah after taking some voice lessons that I paid for with my own money that I made from my job as a cleaning person at a hair salon in my home town.

What's the last song that you listened to?

Waves by The Cruise! It goes with my "riding the wave" technique!

What's your favorite must-see movie?

Ferris Bueller's Day Off! I like the whole idea of taking the day off and just enjoying yourself. I love the concept of "life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." I really think it's important to take time off from things. Every once in a while, we need to take a day for our mental health!