Birmingham Moms Blog :: Introducing Katie

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Birmingham

Of course he fell in love with that pigtail/boot/sledgehammer combo.

A native Alabamian, I grew up in the small town of Daphne and moved to Montgomery in the midst of my (semi-dramatic) preteen years. There were many people in Montgomery I loved, but the city itself never grew on me. I enthusiastically escaped to Auburn, embracing life on the Plains and the adventures of college life. Traveling often, I met my husband digging out the mud left behind from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. You know you’re meant to be when you fall in love while looking a true hot mess! After graduating from Auburn, I learned that life has a funny way of bringing you back to the places you say you will never return. My husband and I moved to Montgomery and were married in 2007. I am grateful for that season for many reasons, but I needed to find a career and a hometown I loved.

In 2012, we made the leap to Birmingham, and I entered the Masters in Counseling program at UAB. Falling in love with Birmingham did not take long. Working at Lucy’s Coffee and Tea (worthy of being a historic site, in my opinion) while in school as well as serving as an AmeriCorps member for the YWCA, were true gifts. This time offered me ways to connect to the best education, people, and organizations our city has to offer. I now work as a licensed counselor in the UAB Addiction Recovery Program. I also own a private practice, Present Wellness Counseling, LLC, serving individual clients and offering group trainings. Living in Crestwood is a joy, with its proximity to all downtown has to offer. I’m a regular at several local places to eat, I practice yoga, and I play outside. Being connected with my vibrant faith community is also essential for me. While I’m excited by all the growth I see around me, I am in love with the people that make Birmingham what it is. There are so many compassionate, hard-working people molding our city into a more inclusive, caring community. They inspire me to invest and work for the betterment of Birmingham.

Moms

My people.

For many years, I held a lot of fear about parenthood and questioned if I’d ever be ready for children. However, I remember the moment this began to change for me. While on a date with my husband, I had the unexpected thought that something seemed to be missing from our family. About a year later in 2016, we welcomed our son Harpin into the world, and he filled a gap I didn’t even know was there. He is full of unbridled energy and fun and has more climbing skills than any kid I’ve ever met. He’s got great hair too, if I do say so myself. 

As a counselor, I have a substantial amount of training in child development, discipline techniques, and strategies for managing stress and anxiety. Believe it or not, I actually taught parenting classes before I ever even had a kid . . . like I knew what I was talking about! Learning to implement this information into real life momma-hood moments is a totally different ballgame. Truthfully, I don’t get parenting right a lot of days. I’m just learning to carry myself gently through hard moments, and I’m willing to share the lessons I learn along the way. 

Blog

The idea of blogging has been in my head for several years, yet I often doubt I have enough to say to be sustainable. But let me tell you, motherhood gives me substantially more content than I’ll ever use! Navigating the choppy waters of raising a child is my greatest adventure and constantly teaches me more about myself and the world. So you can expect to read a fair amount of messy parenting stories mixed with a lot of words like compassion, kindness, and grace. I hope to keep my posts vulnerable, real, and relatable. This is what I need from the people in my life, and I hope to pass this along to others. I am honored and excited to begin this journey with our BMB readers, and I look forward to hearing from you!

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Katie R
Katie, a native Alabamian, came to Birmingham in 2012 to pursue a master's from UAB in Mental Health Counseling. She works as a Licensed Professional Counselor in her practice, Present Wellness Counseling, LLC, as well as in a residential treatment center for substance abuse. She and her husband were married in 2007 and have a son, Harpin, who's been keeping them busy since 2016. She is learning daily how to bridge her child development background with real-life motherhood moments, and she is excited to share these experiences with her BMB readers. Katie loves any time spent outside, loves opening her home to share meals with friends, and loves her faith community. She practices yoga and Reiki, and leads meditation groups for developing self-compassion. You can find out more about her practice and her upcoming community trainings at her website, PresentWellnessCounseling.com.