Kitt Klassen stands in front of a window into a sunlit kelp forest, wearing a P100 respirator intended to prevent the transmission of COVID and other airborne pathogens. They are wearing a shirt that declares "trans joy."

Above is a picture of Kitt, standing in front of a window into a sunlit kelp forest, wearing a P100 respirator intended to prevent the transmission of COVID and other airborne pathogens. They are wearing rainbow glasses and a shirt that declares "trans joy." The other picture of Kitt on this page features them in the same glasses, looking at a sunset by a yellow bridge with wild foliage behind them.

Kitt Klassen, LCPC

Like many people, I find it can be difficult to talk about myself. You may feel this way, too, especially as you enter the vulnerable space of therapy. There’s more information below about the kind of therapy I practice, my professional experience, and the specific identities I hold, but I’d like to share some more personal information to start.

Some words I’d use to describe myself are…earnest, introverted, insightful, analytical, compassionate, curious, and partial to cats. I like to be in nature and I like to be cozy at home. I’m not very social media-savvy, so I stay offline most of the time. I enjoy puzzles, Stardew Valley, Lego, and learning. Some of my special interests include cosmology and spacetime, consciousness and theory of mind, art history, and religion and spirituality. I love listening to other people talk about their special interests, too!

If we enter a therapeutic relationship, I hope to earnestly offer my own vulnerability to the space we create, so that we can both strengthen our capacity for self-compassion and authenticity.

I enjoy working both in-person and virtually with clients, and I continue to take COVID-aware precautions in my practice and daily life. As a licensed counselor, I abide by the standards and regulations of the licensing board in the state(s) in which I practice (currently, Maryland) and the American Counseling Association code of ethics. I have been working as a counselor since 2021, finished my Master’s Degree in 2022, and began my private practice in 2024. It is a privilege to be a therapist and I hope to continue to provide competent and inclusive care for many years to come.

Two of my tattoos, pictured below, represent some of the primary ways I approach life and relationships and reflect my core beliefs and values. One is a candle, indicating my desire to hold out a light to others and the world. The other is a knife with a tiger paw handle, indicating my fierce belief in justice and human dignity. (Tattoo art by Geo Mccandlish at Fruit Camp and Alex Doucette at Have Fun Be Lucky, respectively)

Learn more about my values

Modalities through which I practice counseling:

My identities, privileges, and social location:

  • White

  • Neurodivergent

  • Trans & nonbinary (they/them pronouns)

  • Queer (bisexual/omnisexual)

  • Small fat / midsize

  • Primarily able-bodied but experience some chronic illness including mental health disability

  • Currently middle class, grew up upper-middle class; have never experienced housing or food insecurity

  • Heterosexual parents who are married and remain together

  • US citizen from birth

  • No religious affiliation, but assumed Anglo-Christian privilege

  • Hold a graduate degree and have had access to higher education through familial support

Education and Experience

  • Coursework:

    • Special Topics Seminar on Trauma and PTSD

    • Beyond the Gender/Sex Binary: Implications for Research and Practice

    • Human Sexuality: Counseling Approaches

    Recognition:

    • Outstanding Graduate Student in Counseling Psychology

    • Group Facilitator - Support group for parents and caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth

    • Group Facilitator - Therapy group for adolescents in substance use treatment

  • One and a half years post-graduate practice at the Maryland Center for Gender & Intimacy, a private psychotherapy practice focused on therapy for sexual and gender minorities and erotically marginalized clients (2022-24)

    • Group Facilitator, TransFamily - Support group for parents, caregivers, and adult family members of trans and nonbinary youth

    • Legal advocacy for survivors of intimate partner violence

    • Funding and practical support to increase abortion access

    • Peer sex education and supportive resource development