About Kate
Hi, I’m Kate Kendrick. I am a holistic psychotherapist and relationship counselor working with clients who want to enjoy their life to the fullest but can’t because of chronic anxiety, depression or an interpersonal relationship issue that is keeping them stuck. The approach I offer is person-centered and holistic, integrating a combination of complementary methodologies including Applied Existential Psychotherapy, Focusing Oriented Therapy, Nonviolent Communication, Gestalt, Spiritual Psychology, Somatic Experiencing and mindfulness. I have been in practice for over 18 years, and have been a student and teacher of personal and spiritual growth for over 35 years. I love to work in partnership with people, assisting them to find effective and compassionate ways to connect with their inner knowing and wholeness. This is the key to dissolving blocks like anxiety and handling interpersonal challenges with grace and ease. Along the way, I help people master skills like self-empathy, speaking their truth, or regulating their nervous system, so they have the confidence to handle whatever life throws their way. I support people to see the beauty of who they are, and awaken to the gifts that they have to offer the world.
How I got here
I was moved to become a psychotherapist after being supported through my own journey of healing and transformation. Having recovered from an eating disorder, chronic anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, I have a deep compassion, empathy and sensitivity to the suffering of others. I know the territory. I also learned several important things that inform my approach: there is a True Self inside all of us that cannot be broken, in spite of what we have been through; the body has an innate wisdom that we can tap into when included in the therapeutic process; and the quickest way to healing is to come present to and listen fully to all parts of ourselves with curiosity and unconditional acceptance.
I have been blessed to train with and be profoundly influenced over the years by master teachers and therapists.
When I met Dr. Marshall Rosenberg in 1986 in San Diego, I felt a deep resonance with his Nonviolent Communication process. A friend invited me to a presentation Marshall was giving. As I listened, I had an inner “Yes” to NVC, and had the sense that it had the potential to transform the world. I also discovered that it could help me connect to myself and others authentically and from the heart. Marshall’s work did indeed spread around the globe, and there are people in many countries who use NVC in all kinds of difficult situations…like war! I went on to take numerous trainings with Marshall and other Nonviolent Communication trainers over the years, and in 1999, I began leading NVC trainings myself. I also integrated NVC very effectively along the way when I was an elementary teacher, school counselor, mediator and restorative justice facilitator.
Marshall modeled a consciousness of unconditional compassion, and taught me how to think and communicate in ways that create genuine connections with myself and others. His profound understanding of human beings, his commitment to peace, and his practical ways to relate from the heart have greatly influenced my work. The concepts and skills have also made my own relationships, including many years of marriage, so much easier and more fulfilling!
From 1991 to 1993, I studied with Drs. Ron and Mary Hulnick, pioneers in the field of Spiritual Psychology, and co-directors and founding faculty for the University of Santa Monica. My masters program was experiential and transformative. From the Hulnicks, I acquired the skills to gain access to and gradually learn to live from my Authentic Self, the sacred place inside that is unscathed and wise, and knows the way through. I also became proficient in applying Gestalt, RationalEmotive Therapy, PersonCentered Therapy to my inner work and in sessions with others. The foundation of my therapeutic approach today began with the solid foundation I got at USM.
In 2011 and 2012, I learned Inner Relationship Focusing (IRF) from Ann Weiser Cornell. A methodology that includes body, mind and spirit, IRF has shown me how important it is to be able to turn toward and be present to whatever arises in me with unconditional acceptance and empathy. Deep listening from presence dissolves blocks within and frees our energies to move forward from a place of wholeness and congruency. I have found Focusing to be so effective with clients that I integrate it into all my sessions.
I am presently and very gratefully continuing my learning and professional development with gestalt and master therapist, Betty Cannon, PhD. Betty, a clinical psychologist, who supervises my practice. She developed Applied Existential Psychotherapy, a type of existential, experiential psychotherapy that combines elements of Gestalt, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic Therapy and Psychoanalysis. I am also part of one of her process groups, in which we hone our proficiency by experiencing and watching a master therapist work with and facilitate the group. I strive to emulate Betty’s warmth, encompassing compassion, wisdom, and proficiency in my work with individuals, couples and groups.
If you’re wondering what I did before I became a psychotherapist…
Before becoming a psychotherapist, I worked in the public schools in California for many years as an elementary teacher and school counselor. At the time, I developed a peer mediation program, and volunteered as a mediator for adult issues. When we moved to Colorado, I became a restorative justice facilitator for the Longmont Community Justice Partnership, then became the Restorative Justice in Schools coordinator for the School Mediation Center. I have maintained a daily meditation practice for over thirty years. I live with my husband of 20+ years, and enjoy hiking, meditation, dancing, photography and yoga.
Brief Summary of My Qualifications:
● Colorado Unlicensed Psychotherapist ( NLC 00007318)
● Master of Spiritual Psychology, University of Santa Monica
● Currently studying towards certification in Applied Existential Psychotherapy with Betty Cannon, PhD and Robyn Chauvin, LPC
● Inner Relationship Focusing, Levels One through Four, with Ann Weiser Cornell, Focusing Resources
● Advanced trainings in Inner Relationship Focusing
● Over 500 hours of Nonviolent Communication™ training with Marshall Rosenberg and other Certified Nonviolent Communication trainers.
● Training in Restorative Justice, Community Group Conferencing, and Peacemaking Circle Facilitation, Longmont Community Justice Partnership/Teaching Peace
● 40 hours of mediation training, San Diego Mediation Center
● Colorado Elementary Teaching License
My practice is supervised by Betty Cannon, Ph.D, Colorado Licensed Psychologist #2029
