Get to Know Kate Rayfield
How did I get into this career?
There are a number of roads that led me to my career as a counselor. First, I had a positive experience in my early twenties with a counselor at my university. Even in a short-term relationship, I found so much safety and freedom in her office. Here, I was able to say things out loud that I'd never processed before, and she helped me parse through them without judgment and with compassion. It was around this time that I started to conceptualize counseling as a career path, and I held this little flame in my heart for a few years before seeking out a graduate program.
Additionally, around this time I was working for a ministry that was rooted in building relationships with adolescents, offering them safety, community, and a "third place" outside of home and school. My favorite part of this work was the connection and depth that came with fostering relationships, and I started to think about what it would mean to do that professionally. While counseling and ministry can be (and are!) wildly different, the stuff of relational work is the same and I have enjoyed the time spent building rapport and creating a safe place for others to heal.
Third, I am a reader at heart, and as an English major in my undergrad, I was trained to think critically, find themes, symbols, and motifs. It’s right up my alley to intertwine the story-based work of counseling with the science of how the brain works in order to pursue healing with clients.
What is my favorite thing about counseling?
My favorite thing is getting to watch clients get comfortable with "gray area." Most of my clients know that I am a big believer that there isn't much "black and white" happening in our human experience, so rather that running away from the discomfort of the gray, I love to lean in and allow for the complexities of good and bad, happy and sad, change and stillness, etc. Sitting in the both/and can be so freeing, and it's a delight to get to watch humans be human and sit with the gray area.
What do I like to do when I'm not at Atlanta Wellness Collective?
I’m a homebody to my core, so you can usually find me with a coffee and book, on the couch, with my Golden Retriever, Maddux. If I have a free Saturday, I love taking a yoga class, going thrifting, or trying a new restaurant with my husband.
What do I hope for my clients?
My hope is that clients feel safe to pursue holistic healing, and feel the freedom to care for their whole person as a result of our work together. My hope as a counselor is to walk with clients into wholeness, doing my part to help with coping tools, cultivating self-compassion, and exploring trauma and hurt, while at the same time encouraging clients to be active in finding safe community, care for physical health, and engage with nature.
Request an appointment with Kate via telehealth or in person at our Roswell office.
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