Katherine Wikrent, PLPC, NCC: Therapist for the Intense, Brilliant, and Burnt Out
Trauma-trained. Queer and neurodivergent-affirming. Deeply real.

Why This Work Matters to Me

Some of my favorite clients come in saying:

“Everyone says I’m too much—or not enough.”

“I’ve done a lot of therapy, but I still feel stuck.”

“I know what I should do... I just can’t seem to do it.”

They’re insightful, emotionally intelligent, and often the go-to “therapist friend” in their group. They hold so much—trauma, heartbreak, self-harm, suicidal thoughts—but they’ve mastered the art of keeping it together. No one sees how hard they’re white-knuckling it beneath the surface.

That’s where I come in.

My style is warm, collaborative, and no-BS. I’ll sit with you in the hard stuff without letting you drown in it. We’ll get into the messy middle—honestly, compassionately, and with enough structure to keep you steady you while things shift.

Yes, we’ll talk about the heavy things. But we’ll also laugh. We’ll explore desire, weirdness, and what it means to live a life that’s not just "fine"—but radically, unapologetically, joyously yours.

👉 Curious why trauma-informed care matters (especially if you’ve got ADHD or complex trauma)? Read more about that here.

My Journey to Becoming a Trauma-Trained, Affirming Therapist

Becoming a therapist wasn’t a straight line for me—it was a series of plot twists with a passport and a whole lot of existential dread.

I started in international development and public policy, working across Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa on public health and gender equity. I believed in big systems change. I earned a Master’s in Public Policy from George Washington University and dove headfirst into the DC grind: long hours, tight deadlines, beautiful ideals buried under bureaucratic red tape.

Eventually, I burned out—hard.

I got really good at looking like I had it together while quietly falling apart. Perfectionism, people-pleasing, never feeling good enough, second-guessing everything—I carried it all. I was trying to fix broken systems I cared deeply about, but what I really wanted was something more human. More real.

I didn’t want to sit in meetings debating diplomatic semantics. I wanted to sit across from someone and say the true thing, in words that feel real. I wanted to be part of the moments where healing actually happens.

So I pivoted. I went back to school, earned my counseling degree, and found the work that lights me up: helping wonderfully complex humans come home to themselves. I bring my full self to this work—lived experience, messy growth, lessons I learned the hard way—so you never have to whitewash your healing process or pretend you’ve got it all figured out.

The Nerdy (But Important) Details

I’m a PLPC (Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor) and NCC (National Certified Counselor), with a Master’s in Marriage, Couples & Family Counseling from Loyola University New Orleans. I practice at AEJ Counseling, under the supervision of owner Dr. Amanda Elise Johns Dossaji. I offer individual and partner therapy across Louisiana via telehealth and in person in New Orleans.

I’ve completed specialized training in trauma and ADHD care, including:

• Certified Clinical Trauma Professional – Level 1 (CCTP-I)

• ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP)

While these certifications aren’t formally recognized under my PLPC license type, the tools I’ve learned are very real. They let me support trauma, neurodivergence, and all the messy beauty of being human with clarity, nuance, and strategies that work.