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kTherapy with Katherine Allen, LMFT

Bringing balance back to lives • 45 Lyme Rd. / Suite 310A, Hanover, NH 03755 • 833-4-BSPKAT (833-427-7528)

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    • Pandemic In Review – One Year Later
      3/3/2021
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      3/30/2020
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      3/12/2020
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      3/4/2020
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Author Archives: Katherine Allen

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Pandemic In Review – One Year Later

kTherapy with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on March 3, 2021 by Katherine AllenMarch 4, 2021

Yesterday marked the 1 year anniversary of the first COVID case in New Hampshire. And not surprisingly, similarly to other disasters (9/11, Sandy Hook), everything changed that day. There was now a “before” and an “after”. My clients started cancelling like wildfire, afraid to be in “that area”. I remember panic setting in, fear, not knowing the roadmap or steps necessary to navigate this new thing called “Global Pandemic”. I felt very small and alone. I look back on posts and see the confusion, the waves of information heading towards us and the lag in fully digesting their meaning, the impact, the changes that lay ahead. We have new nomenclature like PPP, stimulus checks, mask-ne, social/physical distancing, mRNA, pods, Zoom-fatigue, quarantinis and the like. Who knew.

I was privileged to receive a PPP Loan, and it mattered quite a lot to me. Much of my caseload scattered to the wind as so many of my clients needed to a) suddenly be home with children full time or b) suddenly lost their low-paying hourly (sans benefit) jobs and were scrambling and panicking with the rest of us or c) stop spending completely as they saw their savings and portfolios flung into chaos and havoc, disposable income was no longer a thing.

And then it came – the huge tidal wave of need, of support, of seeking clarity in the universally bewildering murkiness of pandemic, lockdowns, closures, the re-imagining of countless aspects of our lives. For many, the steady reliability of sessions with a therapist offered a dry patch of rock in the swirling crashing wavy sea. (and all the while, the therapists were also navigating that very same swirling crashing wavy sea). Clients asked for ever more time. 90-minute sessions, multiple times per week. The wait lists became ethically unsustainable. Calls, e-mails for ever more sessions felt like stabs by tiny arrows from hearts seeking something to soothe their pain, and I had no ability to help ease their suffering as there were just no more hours in the day, the week. But that’s my job! To help ease suffering and pain of others. And I just couldn’t do more.

I was also re-tooling my practice, shifting overnight from in-person sessions with maybe 3-4 telehealth sessions sprinkled in per week to 100% telehealth. Plus teaching other therapists how to do this. Plus learning how to train colleagues online on how to work online. And believe me, I fought it as long as I could.

I miss my hair. Yes, I have lost quite a bit of it during this past year. I miss my reliable balance as I also have bouts with vertigo. Now, here I sit before my laptop stand with conferencing microphone and external speakers in a room, all alone. No tissues to refill or water bottles to restock. No hugs. No casual meetings in the hall with building colleagues. No lunches, no spontaneous “let’s meet at x for dinner tonight”. Everything is scheduled, formal, official. The pace and demands have been unrelenting, unparalleled.

For therapists there haven’t been any holidays, weeks off, vacations or breaks. I MISS SNOW DAYS! Working in telehealth means that weather is never an issue anymore, no more fun “free” days off, just shuffle down the hall, launch Zoom, and off to work you go. I now have clients that I believe I may –never- meet in-person. How strange is that? Unprecedented. (I think that is the word of the year). And every spare second of every day there is another “opportunity” for learning: a webinar, a seminar, a podcast. There aren’t enough hours in a day, even if you doubled them, to fit a fraction of everything in. I have stopped saving links and am leaning more towards quiet stillness at home.

But wait – there have been lovely gems that have gratefully appeared as well. I learned how to train colleagues well online and have now expanded my collegial pool to the entirety of the US, Canada, the UK and Europe, something that would probably never have happened if I had only been training in-person. I mean, New Hampshire isn’t a huge draw for travel. I have also been invited into so many clients personal spaces and am better able to witness systems and changes that I never would have been privy to in the traditional office visit model. Likewise so many clients have been able to access many more sessions due to the convenience of just switching screens versus needing to get dressed, drive to my office, wait in the waiting room, have a session, drive home, etc. I am also licensed in 4 states now, again expanding the reach of support I am able to offer.

Yesterday I had a tough day. I made mistakes, had technology snafus, and basically found myself strongly desiring a cry and a break, and a meal out at a restaurant. And yet here I am, in front of the laptop, launching the next Zoom session, a good therapist trying to do a good job.

 

 

Posted in Site news | Leave a reply

A Little Feel-Good Visit with Brené Brown

kTherapy with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on March 30, 2020 by Katherine AllenMarch 30, 2020

I figured we all could use a little feel-good time, and who better than the marvelous Brené Brown to share that with.

Enjoy.

Posted in Good Things | Tagged Brené Brown, courage, feel-good, feeling, vulnerability | Leave a reply

COVID-19 Business Update

kTherapy with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on March 12, 2020 by Katherine AllenAugust 17, 2020

Sessions are continuing via telehealth only here at kTherapy and Brainspotting with Katherine.

All clients will be exclusively online until the physical distancing guidelines of the pandemic have been lifted and/or a safe and effective treatment has been developed and/or an effective and widely available vaccine has been developed.

We have set up video sessions to bridge the gap during the COVID-19 situation. I use the HIPAA-compliant version of Zoom (the popular video conferencing software) for these sessions. Zoom is free for clients to use.

The building management has 2 rounds of sanitation daily. They are using hospital-grade disinfectant to address all interior and exterior door handles as well as elevator buttons, restroom handles and fixtures, and handrails in all stairwells. This occurs around noon as well as around 8:00pm daily. Masks are mandatory in all common areas of the building. I share this just to assure current clients that I am keeping safe by still coming in to my office to run my telehealth sessions.

I still wash my hands 10+ times daily for a minimum of 40-seconds with soap, water, and then dry them thoroughly. I follow up with hand sanitizer as well, as needed.

________(old post follows…)__________

I am including the following video from DHMS as I feel it has great information and education. It is dated March 9 so the statistics are outdated, but the information is not.

This COVID-19 event will end, as all viral infection cycles do. I hope that we can all remain safe and measured in our response to this time and learn new methods of looking after one another that carry on long after it ends.

Posted in Site news | Tagged Coronavirus, COVID-19, HIPAA, social distancing, tele-sessions, telehealth, video sessions, Zoom | Leave a reply

Sane Information regarding COVID-19 and the Upper Valley

kTherapy with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on March 4, 2020 by Katherine AllenMarch 19, 2020

There has been some fear reaction locally regarding COVID-19 and the one DHMC employee, who travelled from Italy recently, testing positive for the virus. There is one “presumptive” case that had close personal contact with the first person.

Clients are cancelling sessions fearful of “things happening around there” which is exactly what the CDC and medical professionals do NOT want to happen. Baseless fear is more toxic, causing paranoia of germs and other people, than a virus, especially to a healthy human.

The below video is a smart, fact-based discussion of the virus and how to keep yourself from contracting or spreading it. Note: masks don’t work.

Also, if by any chance I am contacted by DHMC that I am named as a person that someone with the virus has come into contact with, I will be the first one to immediately self-quarantine and inform every one of my clients personally.

Please don’t let fear and paranoia rule your lives.

Posted in Site news | Tagged Coronavirus, COVID-19, facts, fear, paranoia, protection, safety, travel | Leave a reply

First Ever Brainspotting Phase 2 Training coming to NH in April

kTherapy with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on February 6, 2019 by Katherine AllenFebruary 6, 2019

Yes, we are hosting a 3-day Phase 2 Brainspotting Training April 5, 6, 7, 2019.

To register, go to http://getignitedsite.com/brainspotting-training/

To apply for 21 CEs, visit https://www.academeca.com/CEUReg/SeminarInfo.aspx?seminarId=2142

Any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly!

Posted in Brainspotting | Tagged 2019, 5-7, April, Brainspotting, Christine Ranck, Hanover, New Hampshire, Phase 2, Training | Leave a reply

Healing and Becoming More

kTherapy with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on November 16, 2018 by Katherine AllenNovember 16, 2018

This idea has popped up a few times recently, so I figured it was worth a re-post. I posted on this philosophy back in January 2016.

In couples therapy there is often a lot of fear and shame or protection around what is broken. But this Japanese philosophy, Kintsugi, is a perfect metaphor for how couples therapy works: by exposing the flaws and cracks, we can focus on them directly and heal them, with gold, making them stronger, more precious and more valuable than before the break.

Breaking, then healing, leads to becoming more.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a reply

Happy Autumn

kTherapy with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on September 19, 2018 by Katherine AllenSeptember 19, 2018

Fall is absolutely my favorite season. I love the cooler crisp temperatures, the smell of apples and crunch of fallen leaves, pulling out sweaters and everything back-to-school related. I love Halloween and pumpkins and the colors of orange, red and yellow that sometimes make it look like the sun is shining on a foggy day.

It can also be a tough time of year for many as PTSD triggers can be the very same things that I love. Our olfactory nerve is directly linked to our amygdala, making smell our most powerful memory source. This is great in the case of fire or rotten food. Unfortunately, sometimes smells like Aunt Jane’s casserole or Uncle Max’s aftershave can drop someone to their knees. And with shorter days, more time indoors, close quarters, Fall and Winter can be very very tough for many.

The good news is that we now have tools to help find and heal these PTSD triggers. Brainspotting is remarkably effective at targeting and focusing on the core source of the trauma pain and aiding in it processing through and releasing, no matter how far back the incident was, or how recent it may be.

At kTherapy Katherine is now in New Hampshire full-time and is available to help you move through the landmine field of past hurts with Brainspotting, creating a new landscape to explore with fewer or no triggers.

I accept both NH and VT Medicaid as well as self-pay and HSA/FSA for payment. Please don’t hesitate to contact me and see how we can get you started.

 

Posted in Brainspotting, Good Things | Tagged amygdala, autumn, Brainspotting, change, fall, fear, Hanover, heal, help, Katherine Allen, memories, pain, process, PTSD, therapy, triggers | Leave a reply

Read This!

kTherapy with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on August 2, 2018 by Katherine AllenAugust 2, 2018

I was introduced to this book on the Brainspotting with Veterans closed Facebook group. I just bought it, $0.99, and it is truly amazing! The author, Barry Zworestine, has made this gift available for such a low price, please look into it.

Even though it is written by and for veterans, it is adaptable and relevant to most humans with trauma, addiction, PTSD, relationship struggles, athletes and on and on. I am so excited to have found this small but truly gem-like tool. I am going to share it as far and wide as I can!

Posted in Brainspotting, Change Process, Good Things | Tagged book, civilian, guide, healing, help, hope, PTSD, reintegration, resource, tools, trauma, triggers, veterans | Leave a reply

Join me on Monday, May 14, 2018 in Lebanon

kTherapy with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on May 2, 2018 by Katherine AllenMay 2, 2018

I have been asked to be on a panel to discuss the nature of violence, gun emergencies and how to prevent, respond and heal from them. I invite you to join in this free public conversation to gain education, information and community insight as to how and where help and healing is available.

May 14 flyer

Posted in Upper Valley events | Leave a reply

SECOND Introduction to Brainspotting Workshop, April 6, NH Seacoast

kTherapy with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on February 22, 2018 by Katherine AllenFebruary 22, 2018

I am pleased to announce that I will be giving a SECOND Introduction to Brainspotting Workshop for the NH Seacoast region. It will be Friday, April 6, from 3-5pm and will followed by a refreshements/networking gathering.

It is being hosted by Naomi Rather at Whole Life Health Care, located at 100 Shattuck Way, Newington, NH 03801. You can register with Naomi directly at naorather [at] gmail [dot] com or by calling 603-431-6677 x365.

There will also be an opportunity to purchase 2 CEs through R. Cassidy Seminars.

I am excited to help bring Brainspotting to the Northern New England region. Please don’t hesitate in contacting me if your region might like a workshop as well.

Posted in Brainspotting, Workshop | Tagged 2018, 3-5pm, April 6, Brainspotting, Newington, NH Seacoast, Portsmouth, Workshop | Leave a reply

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  • Pandemic In Review – One Year Later
  • A Little Feel-Good Visit with Brené Brown
  • COVID-19 Business Update
  • Sane Information regarding COVID-19 and the Upper Valley
  • First Ever Brainspotting Phase 2 Training coming to NH in April

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