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Katie Sharpe,  MA,  LMFT

Katie Sharpe, MA, LMFT

Walnut Creek, California
VerifiedTelehealth Available

Professions: Marriage & Family Therapist, Psychotherapist, Counselor

Telephone: 628-250-4559

My Approach to Therapy

Most of what keeps people stuck isn't a lack of self-awareness. It's that awareness alone doesn't reach the places where patterns actually live - in the nervous system, in the body's automatic responses, in the dynamics that replay across relationships and years despite everything you already understand about yourself. My work is focused there. Not on building more insight, but on working directly with the patterns as they show up in real time, catching them in the moment, understanding what's underneath them, and creating the conditions for something to actually shift. With individuals, that means integrating somatic awareness, attachment work, and Enneagram alongside the relational and existential questions that don't fit neatly into a treatment framework. With couples, it means looking at what each person is bringing into the room — their nervous system, their history, their way of protecting themselves — and how those things collide. My style is warm and direct. I don't stay behind a professional wall because most people don't heal in a vacuum of neutrality. I bring myself into the room, and I think that matters. If you've done the work of understanding yourself and something still isn't shifting; that's exactly where this kind of therapy begins.

My Practice & Services

I offer individual therapy and couples therapy in person in Walnut Creek, CA and via telehealth throughout California and Utah. My office is located at Quail Court Office Park in Walnut Creek. I am a private-pay practice. I provide superbills for clients who wish to submit for out-of-network reimbursement. I offer a free 20-minute consultation for anyone considering working together. You can book directly at tidycal.comksharpe4420-minute-meeting or reach me at (925) 246-5799. I typically have availability Tuesday through Friday. I currently have limited availability for new clients.

Had a Negative Therapy Experience?

You're not alone and it doesn't mean therapy isn't for you. Sometimes therapy doesn't work because the approach wasn't the right fit. But more often, it didn't work because the relationship wasn't there. The research on this is actually pretty clear: the single greatest predictor of whether therapy helps you is whether you feel safe with your therapist. Not their credentials, not their modality, not how many years they've been practicing. The relationship itself is the mechanism. If you didn't feel genuinely comfortable, if you were editing yourself, performing okayness, or leaving sessions feeling subtly judged - the work was already limited before it started. That's not a character flaw. It' s not you being difficult or resistant. It's a completely reasonable response to not feeling fully met. I work hard to create a space where you don't have to manage how you come across. My style is warm and direct — I'm not a blank wall. I'll meet you where you actually are rather than where it might be easier for both of us if you were. If you've been burned before, I think that's worth talking about directly, in a consultation, before you commit to anything. You deserve to get a real sense of who I am before you decide whether to trust me with the harder things.

Expertise & Specialties

Age Groups I Work With

TeensAdultsElders

Groups I Work With

I work with individuals who are thoughtful and self-aware, but find themselves stuck in patterns that continue to show up in their relationships, self-worth, or emotional life. Many of my clients understand why they think or feel the way they do, but that insight hasn’t translated into meaningful, lasting change. This could look like burnout, excessive stress, and an inability to be present in your relationships the way you would want. My work focuses on identifying and shifting these patterns at their root. Together, we look at how and why they show up in real time, how your body responds under stress, the impact on others, and navigate your internal experience, so you can begin to respond differently, not just understand yourself better. I integrate somatic awareness, relational work, and exploration of early experiences to understand how these patterns formed and how they continue to operate. This is an active, collaborative process designed to create real change, not just symptom relief. My style is warm, direct, and engaged. I bring both depth and practicality to the work. If you’re looking for quick fixes or surface-level strategies, this may not be the right fit. If you value personal growth and are ready to actively engage in the work, we’ll likely work well together.

Concerns & Challenges Addressed

AbandonmentAdjusting to Change / Life TransitionsAngerAnxietyAttachment IssuesBreakupCaregiver Issues / StressDepression

Therapeutic Approaches & Evidence-Based Methods

Body-Mind PsychotherapyCulturally Sensitive TherapyEmotional Freedom TechniqueExistential PsychotherapyGuided Therapeutic ImageryHolistic PsychotherapyMindfulness-Based InterventionsPsychodynamic

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Location & Contact