Kate Kleinfelter, Ph.D.

Hi -My name is Dr. Kate Kleinfelter, but many people call me "Dr. K." I grew up in Knoxville, TN (go Vols) and worked at Lake Shore Mental Health Institute during the summers when I was home from attending Clemson (go Tigers), and then worked at Helen Ross McNabb before I went to graduate school at the University of South Carolina (Go Gamecocks). I completed my residency in Chicago when Jordon was big (go Bulls), and I then worked with adolescents, adults, and SC's systems of care for over 30 years, covering an extensive range of mental health, juvenile justice, medical, & developmental issues. I now have returned to my home town of Knoxville, but I am licensed to practice in both South Carolina & Tennessee. I am especially passionate about working with neurodivergent (autism level one) and lesbian/gay/bi/queer/gender non-conforming / Aro clients, all groups who tend to have relatively few options in both SC and TN right now for specialized clinical support or guidance. Often, these populations overlap which presents unique challenges. I also work in the juvenile justice arena, trying to prevent children from being waived to an inappropriate system (adult court/prison). For more information on these clinical / policy interests - please read further. (1) First, I love working with Autism Level One clients - Without them, I believe the world would be a terribly boring place & we would not make much progress as a whole. Although I have focused on working with adolescents and families, I DO work with adults as well, especially those who wonder if they may have autism. I have a special interest in working with women, whose diagnosis can be more complicated and most often missed. I can help with the nuances of that via an in-depth developmental interview, among other assessment. If you suspect you may have autism, I can help. If you know you have autism, I can help. (2) I have always worked with adolescents and families, and I tend to specialize in working with LGBQI+ and transgender or gender non-conforming clients - either adolescents and their parents, or adults. Families need alot of support given parents' hopes and dreams for their children, and children's need to be seen and heard. When requested and appropriate, I write letters for gender affirming medical procedures via available evidence-based guidelines. (I look forward to the day when psychologists are no longer gate-keepers for these essential procedures). I also help clients with practical issues such as getting on health plans that will cover hormones. (3) Finally, I have received special training and experience conducting evidence-based forensic evaluations for youth and young adults. Such evaluations include: transfer/waiver, competency, mitigation, disposition, and Miranda capacity. Since I have moved to Tennessee, I tend to provide more waiver consultation, guidance, and support from afar, rather than direct evaluation thus far. However, I am considering providing testimony on general issues affecting youth (e.g., brain development, peer effects; executive functioning, long-range consequences, racial and ethnic disparities, history of the antiquated Kent factors, SCOTUS decisions, and other related issues), in both South Carolina and Tennessee. Please email me in order to set up a free initial consultation: Kate@Kleinfelter.com. I am accepting new clients and have availability in after-school hours and weekends, to accommodate the busy lives of families.