Katie Malone, LPCC, LMFT
Picture of Katie Malone, LPCC, LMFT, who is Assistant Clinical Director At TheraThrive

Katie Malone, LPCC, LMFT

she / her / hers

Clinical Director

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor #4606
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #99859

First and foremost, thank you for beginning to explore what I can offer you, or your child, and for devoting time towards finding a therapist you connect with. My name is Katie, and I am honored to know that you are interested in learning more about me. Beginning to seek therapy services can be a difficult step to take for some, so I want to congratulate you on beginning this journey towards healing.

An Invitation

While people are often seeking services for many unique reasons, the important thing is to find someone who can meet you where you are, without judgment or critique, so I want to reassure you, and emphasize that you have come to the right place. I invite you to look over this section about me to get a better understanding of who I am and how I work with my clients. I hope to connect soon and join you in your process!

Specializations

I am an integrative, strengths-based, and person-centered therapist, who works with individuals, children, couples, and families. I work to create a warm, inviting, and supportive environment for each and every client I see, and I value empathy, authenticity, and genuineness as a part of the therapeutic process.

I specialize in neurodivergent populations, gender and sexual identity, giftedness, and high sensitivity, although I still do see clients from various backgrounds and experiences. I have vast experience working with autistic clients.

I often work with people who struggle with isolation, hopelessness, emotion regulation, anxiety, low self-esteem, and identity development, and I strive to help every client I see reach their therapeutic goals.

Assessment

Child therapy

Therapy for teenagers

Individual adult therapy

Couples counseling

Parent support

Family therapy

High sensitivity, highly sensitive people

Giftedness and twice exceptionality (2e)

Autism

LGBTQ+

ADHD

An Integrative Approach

We all come from different backgrounds and places, which is why I identify myself as an integrative therapist, meaning I utilize different theories from psychology to find which ones best suite you and your process. With each client I see I draw from certain theoretical approaches I believe can best guide them to reaching their goals. The following are common therapies I use, and a short description of each therapy is included. (Please click below)

Narrative Therapy

Narrative Therapy consists of creating a narrative of our lives, and creating meaning through our story. We can begin to point out themes in our stories, and work to discover unrecognized and/or hidden possibilities our story contains. Our identity is influenced by our story, and we have the ability to reinterpret the story if need be.

Existential Therapy

We must strive to be our authentic selves, while grappling with questions around the nature of the human condition such as beginning to search for meaning, accepting being alone, and deciding on our fate. Existential Therapy strives to teach people that they are free and to identify things that block their freedom, while also becoming more aware of the self and accepting responsibility for certain events in the past.

Psychoanalytic Therapy

Psychoanalytic Therapy places an emphasis on our early experiences, and recognizes that our unconscious plays an important role in how we see our world and our present behavior. We must make the unconscious conscious as a way to reconstruct our personality, and work through repressed experiences that continue to impact us to this day.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy states that emotional and behavioral disturbances tend to stem from faulty thinking, and the way we think about our difficulties may reinforce misconceptions and assumptions we have about the world. Ultimately the goal is to confront our faulty beliefs and identify experiences that contradict them, eventually becoming more aware of automatic thoughts and how to change them.

Relational Cultural Therapy

Relational Cultural Theory is grounded in the belief that we are all naturally driven to seek connection and acceptance through relationships, and that our identity and self-concept is formed by the context of the relationships we are in. As we move through disconnections, connections, and transformative relationships, it is the goal in therapy to develop growth-fostering relationships which can then lead to a better sense of self-worth.

Structural Family Therapy

When using Structural Family Therapy, I look at interactional patterns, unspoken rules, and boundaries within the family unit as a way to determine the cause of each individual’s symptoms (i.e. anxiety, depression, isolation, etc.). The goal is to ultimately change the structure of the family and how each member interacts with others in order increase overall mental well-being within the family.

Pursuing My Passion

I am licensed by the state of California as both a Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC4606) and a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT99859), but why both you may ask? Well, I am someone who has always been interested in pursuing my passions to the best of my ability.

In the therapy-world that led me to first becoming a LMFT, and then devoting extra time, energy, and experience to gain my LPCC. The Professional Clinical Counseling License is a more nationally recognized license and allows me room to grow in other clinical areas, such as administering assessments, report writing, and career counseling services.

While most professionals only gain one license, I strive to learn more and gain further experience as a way to best serve my clients. My value of life-long learning is also seen when I decided to grow in an additional way by becoming a Clinical Supervisor for therapy associates who are gaining hours for their licensure; this is a position I enjoy and take great pride in.

Empathy and Authenticity

As someone who has always valued empathy and authenticity, I felt led towards the therapy field, and eventually specializing in neurodivergent populations, and LGBTQ+. I am a neuroaffirming therapist and an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. I find it so important and so essential for people to embrace who they are and relish in their experience, rather than carry shame or embarrassment with them.

I truly understand intensity, deep curiosity, and excitabilities, which allows me to meet my clients where they are at in the moment they see me, and provide them with a sense of safety so they can be their genuine self and process their experiences.

I enjoy supporting my clients in understanding and learning more about themselves, which in turn leads them towards flourishing and embracing their life.

Katie Malone is a kind, interactive and strength-based therapist who provides psychotherapy services to those seeking to improve themselves and their outlook on life, and is experienced at supporting and treating a spectrum of challenges.

My Role and Experience

I have proudly been a part of the TheraThrive team since 2015 working as a therapist, assessor, and consultant, specializing in neurodivergent concerns. In this position I also take time to present, connect with, and help educate others on my specializations at local colleges, centers, and schools. 

Beginning in 2019 I became the Lead Therapist at TheraThrive which entails managing clinical matters, supporting our team, and managing the office space as well. In 2020 I became a Clinical Supervisor and I supervise associate therapists who are a part of the TheraThrive team and are working to gain hours in order to sit for their licensing exam.

I believe supporting incoming therapists is essential to help the mental health field grow in knowledge, good ethics, and open-mindedness. In 2023 I changed roles again, into my current role as Clinical Director, where I support TheraThrive to continue to provide top-notch services.

Education Background

I earned my M.A. in Counseling at Saint Mary’s College of California, with an emphasis on marriage and family therapy, and professional clinical counseling, and I graduated with honors. As a therapist with feminist values, I completed my thesis on PTSD in women with childhood sexual abuse, exploring the impact of trauma on women.

Prior to my M.A. program, my love of knowledge, books, and experience led me to earning my B.A. in English at the University of California Berkeley, with a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. In addition I spent a semester studying abroad, living in Dublin, Ireland, and traveling throughout Europe.

 

Clinical Experience

One of my first jobs as a therapist was to work through Contra Costa County as a therapy trainee, providing therapy for children, adolescents and families with moderate to severe mental health challenges and experiences. I promoted wellness by helping clients manage emotional challenges, discover aspects of their identity, and communicate openly to their family, friends, and support systems. Since then, I have gained experience at other agencies as well as in private practice at TheraThrive.

Since 2015 I have focused on providing integrative, strengths-based and person-centered therapy to neurodivergent clients, including autistic clients. In the past, I had also worked as a lead therapeutic instructor, specializing in supporting autistic children and their families. I trained incoming instructors, and provided aid to children and families across various environments, including in their homes, public schools, and clinics, as well as facilitating social groups. I encouraged growth by embracing strengths, developing learning skills, and utilizing coping skills for emotional regulation.

I understand where you are coming from. I have experience worked with autistic children, parents, siblings and families in the office and in-home, I implemented my own style of a warm approach, and spent a lot of time observing the family system to support autistic children and their families. Currently I now work with autistic children, parents, and siblings who have been struggling, and want to explore ways to support and manage their life and the lives of their loved ones.

Many of those who struggle with autism, or are family members of an autistic individual, often feel grief over the “life lost”, or the life they never fully had. When one is diagnosed with autism, it can impact the family system, and I am here to provide support and healing for those who are affected.

Many of those who struggle with autism, or are family members of an autistic individual, often feel grief over the “life lost”, or the life they never fully had. When one is diagnosed with autism, it can impact the family system, and I am here to provide support and healing for those who are affected.

You are not alone. Let’s manage these challenges together. Loneliness, anxiety, curiosity and grief are only a few of the responses I commonly see with family members. Parents may grieve the child they imagined they would have, while becoming overwhelmed with all they must do seeking treatment for their autistic child. While on the other hand, many alistic siblings struggle with seeking attention and validation from their parents, who are spending necessary time supporting their autistic child. It feels like a cycle the family may not be able to break, yet I can help you learn to manage this cycle, and even change it.

When providing therapy to autistic clients, in addition to learning about oneself and exploring one’s identify, some time may also focus on social skills, identifying and managing emotions, and exploring coping skills for behaviors. Working with autistic individuals provides me with an opportunity to also assess what other accommodations or services they may need, and I can help build those connections for the child and family.

As a mental health professional, I know how difficult it is to find someone who understands autism and can provide help. I am here to fill that disparity in the therapy world, and can assure you that help is available.

Supporting the LGBTQ+ Community

Before devoting all of my time at Therathrive, I also worked part-time at a local community mental health clinic, working with adults, teens, and adolescents who identify with the LGBTQ+ community. Through this position, I have worked at a local high school, devoting time for teens that need direct support, and facilitating group therapy. I also engaged in community building, advocacy, and increasing awareness and acceptance in families, social systems, and broader systems as well. I also led a weekly didactic training hour and helped to train incoming clinical associates. I am happy to bring this specialization to TheraThrive.

 

Gifted, High Sensitivity, and Neurodivergent Experiences

Once I began working at TheraThrive I found my love and passion for working with the neurodivergent community. I enjoy supporting those who may feel different, misunderstood, and alone, and I truly get the gifted and highly sensitive experience. Intensity, depth, hyper-focus, need for meaning-making, and anxiety/depression around existential concerns are traits I love working with and flourish in supporting clients with. As a neuroaffirming therapist, I also thrive in supporting neurodivergent individuals to discover, embrace, and appreciate the strengths that come with being neurodivergent as well.

 

A Large Scope

I have vast knowledge and engagement with a wide range of experiences and differences people may go through, such as anxiety, depression, learning differences, Autism, identity development, ADHD, OCD, perfectionism, existential concerns, neurodivergent burnout, relational and intergenerational trauma, gifted, and high sensitivity. I find that I thrive and enjoy most working with the neurodivergent community.

Memberships

California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists

 

Personal Interests

Growing up in the Bay Area, I love hiking on nearby trails and, when I have the chance, I like to indulge in my passion for travel. I enjoy practicing yoga, walking, hiking, cooking, and spending time with my rescue cats Mad Max and Furiosa. I also embrace being a life-long learner and continue to work at learning more and more about the communities I may identify with and support. At the end of the day, I always find comfort and support in spending as much quality time with my loved ones as I can, especially my child and continuing to grow and develop as a parent too.

Picture of Katie Malone, LPCC, LMFT, Clinical Director at TheraThrive