Therapist Spotlight: Jessica Katz, LLMSW
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better”
- Maya Angelou
Why did you choose to become a therapist?
I got my bachelors in psychology with a plan to become a child psychologist. I wanted to support children who experienced abuse. Somewhere along the way, I decided I wanted to be more active in fighting abuse, and thought becoming a lawyer would allow me to do that. I practiced law in a haphazard way for about a decade - only the last job I held had any relevance to supporting survivors of abuse, so I spent a lot of time running a nonprofit on the side that supported domestic violence survivors and their pets.
The pandemic turned my world upside down in much the same way it did for everyone else. I noticed that my legal career wasn’t giving me enough opportunities to do the interpersonal support work I enjoyed the most. I became disconnected from my Chicago communities and longed to be closer to my family in Michigan. I had to reckon with the fact that everything I had seen as the definition of failure – leaving my legal career, moving home to Michigan, starting all over – was not only exactly what I needed, but also exactly what I wanted. I saw everyone around me struggling to manage their own mental health concerns, and realized I could lean into my own experience as a way to help others navigate theirs. Helping and supporting others has always come naturally to me, so having the opportunity (and credentials) to make a career out of it is a dream come true - if somewhat deferred.
What are your favorite books?
I'm a voracious bibliophile (more of a book dragon actually - I hold onto books that I want to read but never seem to have time to!). I read a lot of books about history and social issues, and I love historical fiction. The only books I've re-read multiple times are The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende (I'm working on reading that one in Spanish). I loved Laura van Dernoot Lipsky's book Trauma Stewardship, and I have her book The Age of Overwhelm on my shelf. I also loved Professional Troublemaker by Luvvie Ajayi Jones. I've read several books by Natalie Haynes and she may be becoming a favorite author.
What shows are you watching?
I'm on my 10th or 11th watch-through of Call the Midwife, and I've started introducing my partner to The Great British Bake-Off. We're also going back through Ted Lasso, because can you ever have enough Ted Lasso?
