Cat Jensen, LCSW
Psychotherapist, Coach & Facilitator
Santa Monica CA
I use somatic and attachment-based principles and practices along with KAP, IFS, EMDR, Sound Healing, Ancestral Work, and other Spiritual Tools. I often cross-pollinate, no matter which approach is the main focus. I enjoy lively co-creation and my highest goal is to offer you a depth of energetic presence that supports you in your transformation process and helps you to understand how to come into your own deep presence as an offering to yourself and the world around you.
I believe expansion doesn't have to be hard, but rather a joyful and curious unfolding, if we surrender to the process and allow space for inspiration to come in. I like to offer new ideas for what it looks like to be in tune with the cycles of life and our own unique rhythm and to lovingly reframe the distortions we were taught about residing in community with others.
I specialize in internal and external conflict (relational, trauma, or spiritual/existential,) grief, self-expression, enoughness and too-muchness, and somatic embodiment/presence. We can be motivated to act by our emotions but we inspire when we know how to love unconditionally and it all starts with us and knowing how to turn that inward. Only after this process do we overflow out toward other humans and the natural world. I use the 5 Elements (Air, Water, Fire, Earth, and Spirit) as metaphors in my work, as well as the moon cycles, to connect people to the rhythm of the Universe and the constant review and refining process that inherently exists within Nature.
I help people identify what they are and are not in resonance with so they can create a life symphony with beautiful, resounding harmonies- whether that is on their own or with another person or people, through work and purpose, amongst the natural world, or in the activities that bring play and fulfillment to their lives.
I began in the mental health field in 2004 as a social worker serving the unhoused population and then later those with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI.) I moved into practicing psychotherapy in 2009 with a focus on Trauma/PTSD, and Attachment. I spent almost a decade working in community mental health and for many of those years my work took place within the criminal justice system (ie. as a social worker and therapist working both inside or with people serving time in jails and prisons.) I’ve been in private practice full-time since 2016.
Working professionally with psychedelics has been a meandering path for me. Two colleagues invited me to consider providing KAP services at the end of 2017, but I pushed it off until February 2019 as it felt too fringe at the time to do so publicly. That makes me laugh now! In 2019, I had many of my clients come to me asking if I would assist in their integration experiences. They were receiving IV infusions at Ketamine Clinics without guidance and support during or after their journey and this was ungrounding and confusing to them. I felt I could no longer push it off. So, I found a mentor for basic apprenticeship and began. A few months later I joined a medicine group with other therapists and this was my training ground for 4.5 years. In 2020, I took formal training on Ketamine and Psychedelic Medicine with PRATI. I find that psychedelics serve as a tool that best support me in helping you go deeply into yourself and drawing out what is needed to find transformation.
I am a therapist to other therapists and those in the healing trades, though I also enjoy working with all kinds of people. I tend to work well with those who are not just starting their journey but who are longtime spiritual seekers ready to surrender to the depth of transformation available to them in this process.
My About and Counseling pages on my website offer more details and specifics on my specialties: https://www.wildpresence.co
I offer individual Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy in my office as well as IFS, EMDR, Sound Healing, Ancestral Work, and other Spiritual Tools (which all can be brought into the KAP experience as desired.)
While I do not promote or provide any illegal substances nor the abuse or misuse of any illegal substances, I can support harm reduction and integration of other experiences.
If you have a group of people and are interested in having a facilitator and licensed prescriber, this experience can be crafted for you though I do not have any regular group offerings at this time that you can join as an individual.