Kayla Freeman (she/her)

I have professional experience serving and advocating for the trans community. As a queer cis woman, I am a proud trans ally. My therapeutic approach is rooted in helping you to better get in touch with your own wisdom, intuition and boundaries to help you find and accept your identity. Whether you are queer or straight, cis or trans, I help my clients creatively and curiously explore their gender and sexual orientation with confidence, support, and non-judgement.

I have undergone training in mindful self-compassion, a research-supported, evidence-based intervention that helps individuals grow to authentically accept all of themselves to make way for happier relationships, personal growth, and more satisfaction out of life. Maybe you are falling short of your goals or are afraid to take the next step in life because of limiting beliefs. If you're reading this, wondering if therapy can help; please know that you're worth it! I look forward to meeting you.

As a queer person who has experienced counseling for my non-monogamous relationship, I am passionate about helping couples collaboratively exploring whether monogamy is right for them. I help people in relationships find clarity, navigate jealousy, develop communication skills, explore boundaries, and heal wounds from the past that interfere with today's pleasure and connection. My couples counseling style draws on the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy, PACT, EFT and others.

Whether you are cis, trans or still exploring—gender, and our feelings about it, can be tricky! There are so many cultural, familial, and personal histories to unpack that can impact how we feel about our identity. I provide a curious, creative and non-judgmental space for you to think expansively about gender and try on different identities as you embark on self exploration. My goal is to help you better tune in to your intuition and boundaries and live a more authentic, fulfilling life.

The world can be overwhelming if you're empathic, creative or otherwise deeply in touch with your feelings. Sometimes it may feel like the daily demands of life are just too much. It helps to have a therapist with whom you can process all of the big emotions that come with being a passionate and sensitive person. I used a combination of mindfulness, CBT and DBT skills to help you regulate your strong reactions, develop self-soothing skills, and learn to create boundaries that lead to more ease.

Sometimes life has dealt us a series of bad hands, and we begin to doubt our ability to make progress towards our goals or live a life we feel excited by. If you find that more often than not your self-talk turns to criticism, doubt, or negativity, I can help. I have undergone specific training in radical self-compassion, an evidence-based series of interventions that help turn down the volume on the critic and develop a new, more empowering narrative. Self-esteem can be learned; you deserve it!

Racing thoughts, "irrational" fears, or a general sense of dread are all characteristics of anxiety. What's worse is that the anxiety convinces us that we're not like other anxious people—our fears are real! Using CBT, mindfulness, somatic and narrative therapies, I'll help you find space between the anxiety and your gut feelings, so you can learn to tell the difference and feel more in control of your own mind. You'll learn to regulate your nervous system to stop anxiety before it begins.

Our attachment anxieties are often triggered in the context of our close romantic relationships and friendships. This can show up as reactivity, overwhelming fears about the relationship, or a habit of shutting down or pulling away. I help my clients to notice their behavioral patterns and overcome unhelpful habits that can create obstacles to connection.

I am passionate about helping couples where one or more partners have ADHD or another neurodivergent diagnosis. In relationships, ADHD can often lead to miscommunication and conflict due to rejection sensitivity, struggles with executive functioning, and variance in attention and mood. I pride myself on helping neurodiverse couples communicate more effectively and problem solve around their sticky, recurring conflict patterns.

I specialize in helping neurodivergent folks learn to better manage their energy and focus while also addressing common concerns of people with ADHD and/or Autistic folks: feelings of low self-esteem, anxiety, burnout, frustration and isolation. As a neurodivergent person myself, I feel passionately about providing therapeutic care that doesn't try to change Autistic and ADHD folks but rather helps them to embrace their functioning in a way that creates more ease in relationships and at work.

As a queer person who has been to couples' therapy for my own non-monogamous relationship, I value the power of couples/relationship therapy to achieve more clear and assertive communication and to better navigate recurring conflict. I help guide couples through the process of opening up their relationships as well as facilitating conversations with those already engaged in polyamory. I believe there are limitless ways a healthy relationship can exist outside of traditional, status quo ideals.