As a somatic practitioner, Katie serves as an attuned, supportive presence. She will assist with learning tools for managing big emotions, recover from stress and overwhelm more easily, build on emotional awareness, resilience and self compassion. Every session is approached in a fun, relaxed, collaborative manner.

Parents choose somatics for their child because it can be very effective in releasing distressing symptoms straight away.

Often times as humans our nervous system can remain in a prolonged state of sympathetic arousal or shutdown. Over time, this can show up as symptoms like anger, anxiety, hypervigilance, emotional dysregulation, or disconnection and isolation.

After something stresses the body of a wild animal, they typically release and regulate their bodies by shaking, moving, diaphragmatic breathing etc. They do this to reset the stress experience and return to a sense of safety in their body. As humans often our stress response cycles get interrupted. This can happen when a situation we experience is harmful and ongoing, we can’t express our emotions due to social expectation or perhaps we have to stay in an overwhelming situation and can’t physically leave the space.

When the body doesn’t get to fully finish its stress response, we are unable to regulate. Unfortunately this can get stored in the body. We may struggle with big emotional reactions, anxiety, low energy, stomach aches, difficulty sleeping, avoidance, racing thoughts, shut down, or negative self talk etc..

The good news is that somatic approaches work to help support the completion of self protective responses allowing the nervous system to return to a regulated and over time resilient state. When the nervous system is able to lean into felt safety, healing begins!

Katie opened her somatic practice in January 2026. In addition to her practice she is employed through Holland Christian Schools as an outdoor education teaching assistant.

Katie graduated as a Somatic Practitioner in April 2025, and is SYT certified. She obtained a Somatic and Yoga Certification working with Young Children and Teens (including Autism, ADHD, anxiety and depression) and a Trauma-Educated Certification working with Youth and Young Adults. Both certifications are YACEP certified.

Katie graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in Social Work. Her background includes clinical work as a mental health clinician for a community outpatient service. This included psychiatric evaluations, psychotherapy and psychiatry. Until recently, she has been full-time at home raising her three children.

Her training as a Somatic Practitioner included a clinical supervised internship. As her passion and knowledge of somatics deepened, she felt called to specialize in working with children and adolescents, particularly in response to the profound need for greater support around the growing mental health challenges facing youth.