Kathryn Kieran graduated from Brandeis University with a Bachelor’s in History, and after working in the nonprofit arena she matriculated into the MGH Institute of Health Professions School of Nursing. She graduated in the dual track, obtaining certification as an Adult NP and Psychiatric Mental Health NP. She worked in Behavioral Health her whole career, starting at McLean Hospital’s Trauma and Dissociative Disorders programs, working in Outpatient and for the Consultation Liaison service at NSMC Salem and Lynn Hospitals, and returning to McLean to work at The Hill Center and in their Geriatric Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic and research programs, on mood and dementia research projects.
Kathryn has longstanding interests in how psychological trauma affects the mind, body, relationships and functioning of individuals and groups. Honoring different ways of knowing, while upholding rigorous scientific methods and centering evidence-based treatment, is a hallmark of her research, clinical, and teaching work. Recent work has focused on myth as a form of narrative in treating psychological trauma, as well as affected individuals' awareness of the emerging evidence for a connection between visual impairment and psychiatric diagnoses.
Teaching at the MGH Institute as a Term Lecturer in 2021 and 2022 solidified a growing interest in teaching, and she now serves as an Instructor in the School of Nursing teaching psychiatric nursing for the ABSN and DEN programs.
- BA, History, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
- MSN, Nursing, MGHIHP, Charlestown, MA
Holistic health, psychosomatic conditions, psychological trauma, trauma-informed care, group therapy, innovative psychiatric treatment, how oppression and lived experience affects trauma delivery and reception
Kathryn has published numerous papers - some titles are highlighted below. You can view a complete listing of Kathryn's publications on ResearchGate or in her CV.
Trauma-Informed Medication Management