Katy Michaels

Katy Michaels is a Clinical Therapist at the La Quinta TAY (Transitional Aged Youth) Desert Drop-In Center, affiliated with the Riverside University Health System. She provides individual and group therapy for youth and young adults utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), trauma informed care, and Eye-Movement-Desensitization-Reprocessing (EMDR). Katy’s clientele includes many who belong to the LGBTQIA + community between the ages of 16 and 25 years old. Katy has advocated for children, adults and their families in Southern California and Western Massachusetts. She worked as a medical social worker at the Los Angeles LGBT Center when many feared their basic rights would be taken away, while providing affirmative care. Katy has been a guest speaker at California State University at Northridge and the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine educating social workers and medical professionals on best practices while working with Transgender clients. Katy draws from her own personal experiences of having been a member of marginalized communities. As a young adult she was homeless on the streets of San Diego until she got sober and began to turn her life around. Through her recovery and self-discovery, she transitioned into the woman she is today. Katy has given talks on sexuality and self-esteem, gender identity, eating disorders, alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicide prevention. She knows all too well the importance of taking care of one’s own mental health.