Katie Karimian, Doctoral Intern

Kate Karimian

Doctoral Intern

Supervised by:  Kathleen Fahrner, PhD

Pronouns: sher/her/hers

Areas of Specialized Experience

  • College Students
  • Young Adults 
  • Athletes 
  • Role Transitions
  • Anxiety 
  • Self-Esteem
  • Eating Disorders
  • Substance Use
  • Relationships
  • Difficulties with dating and romance
  • Physical Health challenges
  • Marginalized groups 
  • Multiculturalism (always learning more!)

Practice Philosophy

As a mental health practitioner, my approach to working with a client is from a holistic lens and the biopsychosocial model. When you walk into the room, my hope is to make you feel as comfortable as possible and give you an open space to share all of your thoughts, feelings, worries, and even accomplishments! My goal is to help clients make small changes in their daily lives that eventually become big behavior changes after treatment is done. One step in front of the other and consistency will lead you to greatness! 

I work from a humanistic approach while also infusing interpersonal psychotherapy, acceptance commitment therapy, emotionally focused therapy, and some cognitive behavioral therapy. That doesn’t mean that I won’t work with someone who needs a different approach. As a clinician, it is my duty to do the best work for my client. I work from a collaborative approach as well, which means that when we are in the room together, we are working together. I learn from you as much as you learn from me. You are the expert in your life, and I am here to help you with tools that you may pick up along the way to improve your well-being.

Clinical Interests

I have had experience in many different areas of psychology! I started my training at an outpatient treatment center for women recovering from substances. It was my first time working with a population of people from around the world. I learned about their traumas, experiences, and cultural norms amongst each individual. The following year I worked at the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford where I worked with children and families who lived in the House while getting treatment from the hospital, Lucille Packard. In the last years of my traineeship, I have worked at a college for 3 years, working with students, and specializing in student-athletes. 

During my time, I have found my clinical interests to revolve around young adults and work with role transitions, interpersonal and romantic relationship stress, as well as academic distress. I remember when I was in transitional phases, I wish I had someone to turn to, and I never thought to go to a therapist, so now, I have a passion for giving back to students and young adults to help them during their time where they feel unstable, worried, confused or afraid. 

As long as you show up to therapy, and are willing to do the work, I think we can do a good amount of growth together. Not all days will be as great as the others, but this is what life is about and learning how to manage is the goal!

About Me

Hi! My name is Katie Karimian. A born and raised Southern Californian native. I started my academic journey at Chapman University where I studied communications, prepping for law school. When the time came for law school, I knew I wanted to help people but in a different form. I enrolled into Pepperdine University for my master’s in psychology after working for two psychologists in Los Angeles. During my clinical year, I work for a substance use recovery center working with the ages 18+. I loved learning so much that I started the PsyD program at the University of San Francisco directly after my time at Pepperdine. I enjoyed my time in SF where I was teaching pilates, doing clinical work and school, while making a fun network of friends there! Now, I am completing my last year of my degree at Deep Eddy and couldn’t be more excited to work with people residing in Austin! Lucky for me, many of my friends and family have moved to Texas, and I am excited to love Texas the way that everyone eels do! 

During my years of school, I finished my Pilates certification and started teaching. Teaching pilates has allowed me to understand the mind, body, and soul and connect with clients in a different way than therapy. What the two have in common is my time being spent with people using a strength-based approach to better their well-being. 

I enjoy spending time with friends, my family, and doing a wide range of activities in the sun.