Kati Lear, Ph.D.

Dr. Kati Lear (she/her) is a licensed psychologist (PSY32808; OR 3392) who specializes in helping adults develop kinder and more authentic relationships with themselves and others, and greater flexibility in responding to life’s challenges. As a scientist-practitioner, she integrates current psychological research with practical clinical guidance, drawing from evidence-based therapies including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, and Emotion-Focused Therapy. She aims to bring cultural humility and responsiveness to each client’s background and lived experience, collaborating with them to identify unworkable patterns and support concrete, values-aligned behavioral change. Her approach is warm, collaborative, and grounded in curiosity.

Dr. Lear earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wyoming and completed her predoctoral internship at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center and postdoctoral fellowship at Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, and Training Center. From 2021–2025, she served as a licensed psychologist, clinical supervisor, and associate scientist at Portland Psychotherapy and the Portland Institute for Psychedelic Science. In these roles, she worked as study therapist, project director, and treatment developer for an FDA-regulated Phase 2 clinical trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for social anxiety disorder and conducted basic and applied research on therapeutic processes of change in cognitive-behavioral and psychedelic-assisted therapies. She has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed publications and regularly presents her work at national conferences.

Dr. Lear specializes in working with adults experiencing social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, shame and self-criticism, challenges with self-esteem, life transitions, burnout and perfectionism, and questions relating to identity, meaning, and purpose, and personal growth. As a Bi+ psychologist, Dr. Lear is particularly interested in serving LGBTQIA2S+ clients and supporting identity exploration in all its forms. She views well-being as shaped by psychological, physical, sociocultural, and systemic factors and engages in ongoing consultation, education, and reflection to practice from an affirming and anti-racist orientation in her work.

In her spare time, Dr. Lear enjoys hiking in the pacific northwest forests, reading, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Selected Publications:

Lear, M.K., & Luoma, J.B. (2025). A case study on transforming shame: Using acceptance and commitment therapy to increase self-compassion. Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Luoma, J. B., Lear, M. K., Pilecki, B., LeJeune, J., Yi, K., Chwyl, C., Mehr, S., Sarparast, A., Kennedy, L., Lucas, W., Spata, W., Stauffer, C. (2025). MDMA-Assisted therapy for generalized social anxiety disorder: A randomized clinical trial. [Manuscript submitted for publication].

Luoma, J.B., Lear, M.K., Yi, K., & Pilecki, B. (2025). Utilizing in vivo and imaginal exposure in the context of MDMA-assisted therapy for social anxiety disorder: A case report. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice.

Pilecki, B., Luoma, J., & Lear, M.K. (2024). A pilot study of the effect of group-administered psilocybin on psychological flexibility and outcomes. Journal of Psychedelic Studies.

Tittler, M., Luoma, J.B., Grzanka, P., & Lear, M.K. (2024). Guilt, Shame, and/or Both?: Validation of the White Racial Affect Scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology.

Lear, M. K., Lee, E. B., Smith, S. M., & Luoma, J. B. (2022). A systematic review of self-report measures of generalized shame. Journal of Clinical Psychology. doi: 10.1002/jclp.23311

Luoma, J.B., & Lear, M.K. (2021). MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as a means to alter affective, cognitive, behavioral, and neurological systems underlying social dysfunction in social anxiety disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Lear, M. K., Luoma, J. B., & Chwyl, C. (2021). Psychological inflexibility prospectively predicts client non-disclosure in outpatient psychotherapy. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 19, 26-41. doi: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.11.004

Lear, M. K., Luoma, J. B., Chwyl, C. (2020). The influence of self-criticism and relationship closeness on peer-reported relationship satisfaction. Personality and Individual Differences, 163, 110087. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110087