Kate Chittenden, Psy.D.
Kate Chittenden, Psy.D. has been helping children, adolescents and parents for close to 25 years. She has spent much of her career in the public sphere working with HIV positive adults, children and their families across clinics and services at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, North Central Bronx Hospital and Jacobi Medical Center. As the Training Director for Psychology at Jacobi Medical Center, the largest trauma center in the tri-state area, Dr. Chittenden has taught a generation of young psychologists to recognize and treat the whole child within their family and culture.
Approach
Dr. Chittenden was educated at Vassar College and the Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. She has expertise in working with trauma, complicated learning challenges, and helping young adults embrace their emerging identities. She is trained psychodynamically and has received additional training in play therapy, DBT, CBT, Mentalization Based Treatment, somatic approaches to trauma and Internal Family Systems. She offers a wide and creative tool kit to help parents and kids make sense of their feelings, gain control of their behavior, and succeed academically, vocationally and socially. Her research interests have centered around sexuality and gender as well as the sequelae of medical trauma.
Prior to her work as a psychologist, Dr. Chittenden had a successful decade-long career as an artist in the New York theater; in addition to her child and family work, she is uniquely able to help individuals working in artistic fields connect with their creativity and produce their best work.
Dr. Chittenden lives in Westchester with her husband and teenage son, as well as their two rescue pitbull mixes. She is proud to have built a deep understanding of both the pleasures and challenges of living in this community.
Professional Background
Kate Chittenden, Psy.D. is a psychologist with nearly 25 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and parents across clinical, medical, and community settings. Her career has included extensive work with HIV-positive adults, children, and families at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, North Central Bronx Hospital, and Jacobi Medical Center, where she also served as Training Director for Psychology at the largest trauma center in the tri-state area. She was educated at Vassar College and the Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and brings advanced training in psychodynamic therapy, play therapy, CBT, DBT, Mentalization-Based Treatment, somatic approaches to trauma, and Internal Family Systems. Dr. Chittenden integrates these modalities to provide a flexible, developmentally attuned approach that helps clients better understand emotions, improve behavior, and build adaptive functioning across academic, social, and personal domains. Prior to her clinical career, she worked for a decade as a professional theater artist in New York, an experience that informs her creative, identity-focused work with individuals in artistic fields.
Areas of Support
Dr. Chittenden specializes in supporting children, adolescents, young adults, and families navigating trauma, emotional and behavioral challenges, complicated learning differences, and difficulties related to identity development. She also works with individuals experiencing stress related to medical trauma, including HIV-related care experiences, as well as those facing academic, social, or vocational challenges. In addition, she supports parents in understanding their child’s emotional world and developing effective strategies to promote regulation, resilience, and healthy development.