About Dr. Kinsfogel

Undergraduate

I attended the University of Notre Dame for college. I was a high achieving, perfectionistic high schooler who felt extremely lost once I entered college. I started out in Pre-Medicine but quickly discovered I did not like the drier science courses. I floated for a bit, considering anthropology, philosophy, and psychology. I learned I like to hear people's stories, as well as explore my own internal motivations.

Because of my experience in college, and how scary and powerful it felt to find my own path, I love working with young adults who may be seeking their own clarity. A primary task of young adulthood involves re-evaluating the self, solidifying an identity.

Life Between College and Graduate School

I gained much from the life lessons working in the real world. During this time, I managed a coffee bar and worked part-time in a psychiatric hospital. I learned to identify the difference between sadness and clinical depression requiring a two-week hospital stay; or between intrusive thoughts or fears and the realities of a psychotic break. In the coffee bar, I learned the fine art of a well-made vanilla latte and how to love the dysfunctional family system of the workplace.

Primary life lesson: Once I accepted I wasn't a failure for not having a high-paying job right out of college, I started to have fun and found my ideal career.

Graduate School

I decided to attend a PhD program in Clinical Psychology at Marquette University because although I was relatively certain I wanted to be a counselor in some form, the PhD would give me the greatest flexibility in choosing the location, the type of clients, and the type of issues I could work with.

I was trained in two evidence-based therapy styles: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy. I borrow from both: CBT helps clients find their way through tough emotions and situations with mindfulness and logic; Interpersonal Therapy recognizes that we tend to thrive when we pay attention to the health of our relationships with others and with ourselves.

For my dissertation, I studied Dating Violence in High School Relationships. I completed two years of training in college counseling centers (Marquette University, Washington State University), leading to the foundation for my interest and expertise in working with young adults. After graduate school, I completed a year of post-doctoral training in Serious Mental Illness at Shasta County Mental Health in Redding, CA. This additional experience taught me how resilient the human soul can be and the importance of making meaning out of even the most difficult life story.