Meet Kathy

Katherine Reynolds CASAC-2, CRPA, CARC
PESI Certified Clinical Trauma Professional
B.S. in Addiction Studies | MSW Student, University at Buffalo
Founder, Wayfinder Recovery Coaching

Professional Training. Lived Experience. Support Without Judgment.

I’m Kathy, founder of Wayfinder Recovery Coaching. I am a CASAC-2 substance use counselor, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, recovery coach, family recovery coach, and peer-support professional. I support individuals and families throughout New York and Connecticut, as well as virtually.

My work is grounded in professional education, specialized training, and lived experience. As a person in long-term recovery, I understand how overwhelming it can feel to navigate substance use, mental health challenges, trauma, treatment systems, and major life changes. I also understand that recovery is deeply personal. The pathway that helps one person may not be the right fit for another.

I created Wayfinder Recovery to provide compassionate, practical support without shame, pressure, or rigid definitions of what recovery is supposed to look like.

Education

  • Master of Social Work student, University at Buffalo School of Social Work

  • Bachelor of Science in Addiction Studies, SUNY Empire State University

  • Associates degree in Human Services, Dutchess Community College

My continued graduate education reflects my commitment to deepening my knowledge of trauma-informed practice, human behavior, social policy, clinical care, and the systems that shape access to behavioral health services.

Professional Credentials

  • Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor, Level 2 (CASAC-2)

  • Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), PESI/Evergreen Certifications

  • Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (CRPA)

  • Certified Addiction Recovery Coach (CARC)

  • Internationally Certified Family Recovery Coach (ICFRC)

I also regularly pursue continuing education in trauma, substance use, mental health, family systems, suicide and self-harm, motivational interviewing, harm reduction, overdose prevention, and ethical peer-support practice.


About Me


My own recovery journey is a big part of why I do this work.

I struggled with anxiety, trauma, self-harm, and mental health challenges from a young age. By my late teens and early twenties, substance use had become a significant part of my life. I spent several years using heroin and other substances, experienced multiple overdoses, and cycled through psychiatric hospitals, detoxes, inpatient treatment, outpatient programs, medication-assisted treatment, and eventually long-term residential care.

Recovery did not happen all at once, and it did not follow a straight line. Some of the approaches I encountered helped me tremendously. Others left me feeling ashamed, powerless, or as though there was only one acceptable way to recover. Over time, I learned that lasting change required more than simply stopping substance use. I needed to understand my trauma, rebuild trust in myself, learn how to regulate my emotions, develop healthier relationships, and create a life that I actually wanted to live.

Today, I am in long-term recovery and have a life I once genuinely could not imagine for myself. My experience has also shaped how I work with others. I believe recovery can look different for different people. I support medication for addiction treatment, harm reduction, abstinence, and multiple pathways to recovery. I do not believe people need to identify as powerless, adopt a particular label, or follow a single program in order to heal.

My lived experience does not mean that I assume I know exactly what someone else is going through. It means I understand how complicated recovery can be, how much courage it can take to ask for help, and how important it is to have someone beside you who sees you as a whole person rather than a diagnosis or a problem to be fixed. That is the kind of support I strive to provide through Wayfinder Recovery Coaching.