about
Kim Williamson
Mental Health Therapist/Counselor
How I started Practicing:
I actually got my Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology right after college, which was a bit of a long time ago. After spending time as an intern in a battered women's shelter in downtown Chicago, and then in community mental health for my practicum, I decided at the young age of 21 that I was not ready to commit to being a therapist just yet. From there I went into outside sales for fifteen plus years, which I enjoyed quite a bit and loved forming relationships with customers. Within that time period I met my now husband, got married and we raised two daughters, whom I homeschooled for the full 12 years. As they both went off to college, I was ready to get back into the workforce outside the home. It was then that I felt the draw to return to my passion of walking alongside people through their trauma, life, disruption, pain, loss, confusion, spiritual deconstruction, and abuse. More specifically, I felt a call to breath life and healing into those who have been unjustly harmed and violated through sexual abuse, both covert and actual physical sexual trauma.
Why I am passionate about healing:
My passion for providing a space for healing ignited upon finding out the truth about the sexual trauma of a young woman very dear to my heart. It was then that I intentionally pursued the truth about what is actually happening in our world to women, and men, in the area of sexual abuse. The statistics of 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men experiencing some form of sexual trauma in their lifetime astounded me and my passion for justice escalated.
Around this same time I started my own therapy, and discovered that I had my own story of sexual violation. The healing from that continues; however, I am grateful for an abundance of breakthrough and freedom in the areas of my identity, sexuality, body image, role as a woman, and spiritual reformation.
Years of Practice:
I began building my private practice in May of 2015.
Primary Type of Therapeutic Work:
I primarily get the privilege of sitting with single, 15-40 year old women who, whether they know it or not when booking with me, come to find out that they have their own story of trauma, I like to say small ‘t’ trauma or capital ‘T’ trauma, we all have some. Oftentimes the trauma is in the area of sexual harm, which can happen not only through physical contact in the form of rape, but also inappropriate touching by others, early exposure to pornography or sexuality. Covert sexual abuse, also named as emotional incest, shows up in triangulation when one of the parents looks to their child for the emotional connection that would and should normally be provided by their spouse.
In addition, I enjoy unraveling the mess of spiritual abuse in which the dogma or doctrine of a church or denomination has harmed an individual through control, shame, condemnation, judgement, coercion, or manipulation, to mention a few. I consider myself sensitive to the complexity of stepping into these areas. I too have walked through my own “deconstruction”.
