About Me

Kathleen McGrath, LPC, is an outpatient therapist at Persad Center. Throughout her career, Kathy had many different jobs including teaching, retail, and case and program management. Quite unexpectedly, in March 2015, Kathy’s oldest child, August, came out to her as being transgender, non-binary. Over the next 18 months, Kathy walked alongside her child as they navigated their transition, mental health crises, bullying, visits to the DEC and an IOP, as well as applying to colleges. Having discovered a newfound understanding, passion, and heart for the LGBTQIA+ community, when August went off to college, Kathy went to graduate school. Kathy chose to do her internship year at Persad Center and was hired as a clinician when she graduated. Kathy has had extensive trauma-informed training through Allegheny County DHS. She also has been trained in EMDR and is in the process of becoming certified. In 2018, Kathy led the creation of the agency’s TransParent support group. As a parent herself, she understands the questions and challenges that parents and family members face and the 8-week curriculum is designed to not only educate but also provide a place where people can ask questions and express their feelings in a safe space. Kathy, and her therapy dog Daisy, can often be found in the hallways of Persad greeting staff and clients and looking for treats (Daisy, not Kathy).