Katie Kirk, Continued’s group managing editor of behavioral health, oversees the CE libraries in counseling, psychology, and social work.
Kirk describes her career path as straightforward but eclectic.
Her wide-ranging professional experience spans forensic populations, substance abuse, end-of-life care in correctional settings, severe and persistent mental illness, brain injury and spinal defects, residential care, law enforcement and public safety, and gender diversity.
The common thread is her dedication to underserved, underappreciated populations. That's also what ultimately led her to join the editorial team at Continued.
“There is a severe lack of training in speciality populations, especially high-risk speciality populations,” said Kirk, PsyD, LAC. “I want to normalize working with these populations and provide focused training to help serve all people.”
Kirk got her start in the field at residential treatment facilities in Colorado and Florence, Italy, where she supported high-risk children who were removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, parental incarceration, and/or parental substance abuse.
She pursued a master’s degree in forensic psychology and segued her work to adult populations with mental illness and addiction, particularly in correctional facilities and halfway houses.
Through her doctoral program at the University of Denver, she examined end-of-life care in the prison system. Additionally, she gained experience in pediatric neuropsychology at Children's Hospital Colorado, where she worked with patients diagnosed with spinal defects, traumatic brain injury, and/or concussions.
Most recently, she served as behavioral health team lead and supervisor for the Gender Health Department at Kaiser Permanente. In this role, she disseminated highly technical information regarding transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals and gender-affirming services across teams throughout Colorado. She also partnered with other Kaiser gender health departments throughout the country.
Kirk brings these many specializations to Continued, which provides evidence-based courses that are designed to foster members’ professional growth and success through a vast array of training areas.
“Continued's behavioral health libraries are a one-stop shop for phenomenal training on a wide variety of topics,” Kirk said. “I’m excited to provide accessible educational opportunities that clinicians might otherwise have to travel far and wide to access.”
Kirk lives in Denver with her husband and three sons. She enjoys traveling, beekeeping, stained glass art, yoga, the outdoors, and spending time with family and friends.
“Joining this company felt so important for my professional and personal life,” Kirk said. “I feel so inspired working with Continued.”