Dr. Katherine Qubain Ernst, Psychologist

About me

I am a doctor of clinical psychology and a licensed psychologist. My particular areas of expertise are in working with: teens, young adults, and parents; anxiety and depression; neurodiversity (such as ADHD and autism); and LGBTQ+ individuals and families.

At this time, I'm only offering messaging-based services. This consists of asynchronous (not "live"), text-only conversations between the two of us. If you think that messaging might be a good format for your individual therapeutic or parent coaching services, please reach out and I'll be happy to discuss it with you further.

I'm originally from The Triangle in NC, but I lived outside of Philadelphia for over ten years. During that time, I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Swarthmore College, as well as my masters & doctoral degrees at Widener University's Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology. I completed the following tracks & concentrations in my doctoral program: Diversity & Cross-cultural Psychology; Children, Adolescents, & Families; and School Psychology. My internships during my doctoral program were at: a public school; a community mental health center for kids, teens, & families; and an inpatient drug & alcohol rehabilitation facility. Upon returning to my home state in 2020, I worked primarily with LGBTQ+ teens, young adults, and their parents for three years in private practice.

I approach individual therapy and parent coaching with warmth, acceptance, and compassion. I use an integration of third-wave therapies – such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), & Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) – and Family Systems. I'm particularly passionate about taking an intersectional, trauma-informed, gender-affirming approach to supporting LGBTQ+ young people and their families.

I go by "Katherine" or "Dr. Ernst," and my pronouns are she/her. I live in The Triangle with my partner, along with our rescue dog and cats. I openly identify as a queer, disabled, Arab-American woman.

Professional experience

Additional areas of focus: Addictions, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Trauma and abuse, Grief, Sleeping disorders, Self esteem, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Compassion fatigue, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Body image, Caregiver issues and stress, Chronic pain illness and disability, Communication problems, Gender Dysphoria, Guilt and shame, Mood disorders , Multicultural Concerns, Self-love, Young Adult Issues

Clinical approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

License information

NC Psychologist 6461