Cate Desjardins, LMSW
pronouns: they / them
LGBTQ+ Competent Therapy
I know from my own experiences, experiences of friends, and experiences of patients, it can be difficult to find a therapist who truly understands LGBTQ+ mental health. While there is no single monolithic queer experience, there are certain themes and dynamics that only a fellow queer person can understand.
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Gender Diversity & Inclusion
While the creation of safe spaces specifically for LGBTQ+ people has and continues to be necessary and vital, I think the next step is making the world a safe space for LGBTQ+ people. I work with business and organizations run by allied cisgender people to provide culturally-competent information and tools to create truly inclusive environments.
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I believe that healing and growth happens in relationships.
As a psychodynamic, depth-oriented therapist, I’m a collaborator in your growth; I’m not here to tell you the answers, I’m here to help you find your own answers.
I have a deep interest in people’s lives and stories, and I take great care in helping you weave together themes and dynamics from your life story in order to make sense of your present experience. I don’t believe in a “one-size-fits-all” approach to therapy (or anything in life), so each of my clients’ therapeutic experiences is uniquely personalized to them.
I believe in the intensive, depth-oriented approach I take because I've experienced the transformation it provides through my own treatment. I've been in five-day-a-week therapy for over five years and counting, and it's changed my life. While I know it might be a little taboo for a therapist to be so open about their own therapy, I think that just reinforces the BS idea that there's something wrong with being in therapy.
Depth psychotherapy can help us understand ourselves and others more thoroughly so that we can cultivate healthier relationships, more fulfilling careers, and resilience amidst the inevitable challenges of life.
More about Cate
In addition to providing therapy and consulting, I’m pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work. My dissertation is focused on the ways non-female gestational parents make meaning of their gender and gendered experiences during the childbearing year. I'm using a qualitative methodology that is based on clinical practice. Being immersed in both the clinical field and the research field really enriches and informs my work in both areas.
Prior to entering private practice, I worked for community-based agencies that provided programming and services related to substance use, domestic violence, sexual assault, hunger, and homelessness. I also volunteered and worked as a birth and postpartum doula.