Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Leikam.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I knew I wanted to be a social worker since high school. I had a long college career because I took time off school to work. I graduated from the University of Georgia when I was 29. Throughout my career, I have worked in hospice, with foster children and with adults with mental illness who found it difficult to live on their own. I became a therapist in 2012 and began pursuing my clinical license.
I decided I wanted to work with people going through life transitions after all of that real-world experience. I wanted to focus on the transgender community and people who are dealing with anxiety because of change and societal pressure. In 2017, I saw an office for rent that allowed me to open a practice near my home and I jumped right in. Last year was a year of building my business and a lot of clinical training so I could so I could be an even better provider for my clients. I was able to attend The Philadelphia Trans Health conference and begin WPATH GEI certification.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. Building a business, especially when you are new to Atlanta requires a lot of time and effort and meeting new people. I generally love networking and meeting other providers, but sometimes, I’d rather be home. Also, learning how to be a business owner and effectively run a private mental health practice took hours upon hours of reading new information and I am still learning new ways to improve my business.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Katie Leikam, LCSW – what should we know?
I am a psychotherapist in private practice in downtown Decatur. I provide individual therapy to clients, work with couples, families and sometimes I run therapy groups. My specializations are life transitions primarily with the transgender community, from tweens to adults who are transitioning or exploring their gender. I also enjoy working with new college students, people with high anxiety and perfectionists.
I am proud that I have received training for working with gender identity from WPATH and other national trainers so I can stay up to date with transgender health care. I keep an updated blog for a variety of mental health topics but focus a lot on the transgender community and access to care. I think what sets me apart from others is that I am a secular therapist, so I practice from a non-religious viewpoint. I use humor, logic, and compassion when working with clients. Whenever anyone reaches out to me, I am the only person they will talk to or email, because I value working directly with clients and their confidentiality.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My husband would say I am tenacious. I think he means it as a compliment and a critique. But, I do try most new things at least once, especially when it comes to marketing and new training. I also practice being authentic when I am networking and meeting others.
I can say I am not the best at remembering faces, but as soon as I hear your name, I will probably remember a way I can help you or a request you had last year. I think I am successful because I always make time to be with my family several times a week for dinner at the table and weekly for other fun things to do together, such as my son’s baseball games.
Contact Info:
- Address: 315 West Ponce de Leon Ave. Suite 546
Decatur, GA 30030 - Website: https://katieleikam.com/
- Phone: 404-948-6186
- Email: Katie@katieleikam.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katieleikam
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katieleikamlcsw
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/katie_lcsw
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/katieleikamlcsw/pins/
Image Credit:
Joe Leikam
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