Kia Watkins, Psychologist

psychotherapy to adults ages 18–65+. She specializes in the treatment of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, grief and bereavement, existential and developmental transitions across adulthood, relational and attachment-based difficulties, and challenges related to identity development and integration as well as self-understanding.

Dr. Watkins’ clinical approach is deeply integrative and relational, grounded in Gestalt therapy, Adlerian psychology, existential and humanistic traditions, object relations theory, and decolonial and multicultural frameworks. While firmly rooted in evidence-based practice, her work is dynamic and responsive—attuned to the emotional, relational, cultural, and embodied dimensions of each client’s lived experience.

She has extensive training and experience working with multicultural and historically marginalized communities. Dr. Watkins integrates cross-cultural and decolonized psychology with empirically supported interventions and, when relevant, thoughtfully incorporates spirituality and religious meaning systems as sources of resilience, grounding, and embodied healing.

Her areas of focus include complex and cumulative trauma, complicated and disenfranchised grief, existential depression and anxiety, acute and chronic stress conditions, identity concerns, and psychological distress related to race-based, ancestral, and systemic trauma, including the impact of structural violence on BIPOC individuals and communities.

Dr. Watkins fosters a collaborative and trusting therapeutic environment, approaching clinical work with presence, creativity, and compassion. She values deeply understanding how clients make sense of their experiences, the adaptive strategies they have developed over time, and the motivations shaping their lives—supporting growth that extends beyond symptom reduction toward greater agency, coherence, and lived authenticity.

When she isn’t working or engaged in clinical scholarship, Dr. Watkins finds grounding and joy in writing poetry, reading books on history, philosophy, and culture, lingering in cozy coffee shops, composing music, traveling with friends, and spending long hours on video calls with her nieces and nephews—especially when the Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Michigan Wolverines (as they should).