About
A Place to Pause began as a therapy practice and grew into a broader space for reflection, connection, and meaningful change.
The work has grown, but the throughline remains the same: creating space to listen, understand what matters, and move with greater intention.
Dr. Katie Thorrud, Psy.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Founder of A Place to Pause
Why I created A Place to Pause
Meaningful change often begins with space to listen.
After years of clinical work, I have come to believe that meaningful change rarely comes from simply pushing harder or moving faster.
Again and again, I have seen what becomes possible when people have enough space to hear themselves more clearly, make sense of what they are carrying, and reconnect with what matters.
A Place to Pause grew from that belief—and from my own experience with writing, painting, mindfulness, creativity, and meaningful conversation. It brings together clinical depth with reflective, creative, and relational ways of working.
The form may change—therapy, groups, workshops, community gatherings, or collaborative work—but the intention remains the same: to create space for reflection, connection, and meaningful change.
How I work
Reflection, creativity, and connection are part of the practice.
My work is grounded in psychology and shaped by reflection, mindfulness, creativity, conversation, and connection.
These are not separate techniques or a prescribed formula. They are ways of paying attention—to experience, relationships, patterns, and the context surrounding change.
Depending on the setting, the work may look different. What carries across is curiosity, thoughtful conversation, and attention to what is unfolding in the room.
Grounded clinical experience
Clinical depth informs how I hold the work.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist, and that training shapes how I listen, ask questions, understand patterns, and create spaces where people can reflect honestly.
My background includes supporting people through stress, anxiety, grief, burnout, identity, relationships, life transitions, and change. I draw from evidence-based psychology while paying attention to the whole person—their history, relationships, values, culture, creativity, and context.
That clinical foundation extends beyond the therapy room, bringing attention to the human experience within groups, teams, organizations, and communities—especially during periods of change and transition.
My Approach
Moment • Meaning • Movement
Across my work, I return to three points of orientation: the moment we are in, the meaning we are making, and the movement that becomes possible from there.
Moment • Meaning • Movement is not a rigid sequence. It is a way of creating enough space to orient before deciding what comes next.
Beyond the Therapy Room
The work extends beyond the therapy room.
A Place to Pause began as a therapy practice, but the questions at the heart of the work belong in many spaces: How do we make sense of change? How do we stay connected to what matters? How do we move forward without simply pushing harder?
Today, the work extends into groups, workshops, organizations, community gatherings, and collaborative projects. These different spaces allow the same questions to be explored through conversation, shared experience, creativity, and connection.
You Are Welcome Here
Begin with a conversation.
You do not need to know exactly what kind of support you need before reaching out.
Whether you are considering therapy, a group or gathering, or support for a team or organization, you are welcome to begin with a conversation about what is happening and what might be helpful.
Start a Conversation