Kate Bremer, MS, PCC-S

I want to take a little time, both yours and mine, just to tell you a bit about myself.  I’ll try not to be too stuffy, because that is not who I am.  

I’m a “late bloomer” who had a teenager and a toddler when I began my undergraduate studies at Baldwin-Wallace College in the early ‘80s.  I worked full time as a bank auditor and attended classes on the weekends.  After four years hard work, I graduated Suma Cum Laude with a BA in Psychology.   I wanted to go on to graduate school, but did not think my boys would appreciate the “starving student” role as much as I would, so I continued to work.  As luck had it, in the early ‘90s I was down-sized (hate that word) from my position with the bank.  So since I had no job, I figured it would be a good time to go to grad school.   My youngest son had just graduated from Lakewood High and my older son was on his own.  So, my son and I both applied to various colleges and as it turned out we were both accepted to the University of Southern Maine .  Fantastic!  We packed up our things which, included a Samoyed and a Newfoundland,  and moved to Maine .  I graduated with a Master of Science in Counseling in 1997.  

Following graduation I worked as the Clinician on a Crisis Unit for Children and Adolescents for three years.  While I was doing that, my older son was married and I became a grandmother.  With the encouragement of my older son to “come back to Ohio and be a grandma” I again packed up my things, minus my younger son who was now living in Boston with the Newfoundland, and minus the Samoyed who was living in Doggie Heaven, and headed back to Ohio.  After arriving back in Cleveland , I worked as an Outpatient Therapist/Supervisor at Cleveland Christian Home for eight and a half years, at which point I retired from the agency and built up my Private Practice.   I have been in private practice since February 2009 and moved to my own office space in Fairview Park in June 2011.  

Now you are probably wondering why in the world I told you all of this.  There is nothing more discouraging than being told how to raise your children by someone who has never had any.  In telling you my history you now know that I have experienced:  

Marriage

 Divorce

 Re-marriage

Parenting

Single parenting

Step-parenting

Job loss

Relocation

Career change at age 50

Empty nest syndrome

Attending college as a “non-traditional” student

Retirement

Opening my own business

While I don’t claim to have experienced the same things you are going through, I have had my share.  Like yours, my life has had ups and downs, but I’m living proof you can come out the other end.  I love what I do and truly enjoy the therapeutic relationships I have with my clients.  

I have told you my story.  It’s your turn to tell me yours.