Who We Are
At Orchid & Stone Psychological Services, PLLC, we are dedicated to fostering mental well-being through a compassionate, holistic, trauma-informed approach to therapy. Our mission is to provide a safe environment where individuals can explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, while working toward the seemingly opposite goals of accepting what already is and changing what is possible.
When “both can be true,” we are able to recognize that seemingly opposite ideas, emotions, needs, or experiences can co-exist and be valid simultaneously. It’s a way to embrace the complexity of the human experience, which can allow us to have a healthier relationship with ourselves and others, and make it easier to navigate the world. The name Orchid & Stone was created out of a desire to prioritize this dialectic approach at the core of the practice.
We offer individual therapy, couples therapy, family therapy for adult systems, and group therapy using a variety of therapy approaches and techniques that are tailored to your specific therapy goals and needs. The therapy experience at Orchid & Stone is a collaborative effort - your therapist has specialized training, knowledge, and skills, AND you are the expert in you. Both are essential in the therapy process.
Dr. Kat Bracken
Founder/Owner of Orchid & Stone
Licensed Psychologist
Dr. Bracken is a licensed psychologist and Health Service Provider in the state of North Carolina who throughout her career has focused on working with clients from a trauma-informed standpoint. She has worked in private practice since 2018 and opened Orchid & Stone Psychological Services, PLLC in 2025.
Specialties and Therapeutic Approach
Her therapeutic approach is largely grounded in Third-Wave Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Motivational Interviewing (MI), with additional focus on interpersonal processes. Dr. Bracken prioritizes meeting clients where they are, helping foster motivation to change, and offering skills to make positive changes in their lives using evidence-based approaches, all while building a strong therapeutic relationship. Dr. Bracken is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), DBT for Children, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Motivational Interviewing, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Her passion for these therapeutic approaches is reflected in the outstanding clinical outcomes she achieves with her clients, assisting them in reaching their goals and building confidence in their ability to change.
Education and Experience
Dr. Bracken received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2006. She then earned her Master of Science degree in Psychology in 2010, as well as her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2013, from the University of Memphis. Over the course of graduate training, pre-doctoral internship, postdoctoral training, and early career, Dr. Bracken gained experience with a range of populations in a variety of settings, including community mental health, corrections, and US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). She worked on several practicum rotations and research projects through the VA, which included providing therapy services for OIF and OEF Veterans with co-occurring PTSD and other related issues.
She was selected for a pre-doctoral internship with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in Butner, NC, where she completed rotations in forensic, general psychology, behavioral medicine, and residential treatment program (RDAP). During her early career, she worked for a non-profit organization where she was a part of a forensic treatment team. She conducted court-ordered psychological assessments, offered opinions regarding treatment interventions for various disorders, and conducted forensic screening evaluations when the issue of competency to stand trial was raised. She provided outpatient therapy services to individuals in the community who were engaged in the criminal justice system, and juveniles and adults who were incarcerated in the Wake County jail system.
Subsequently, as a staff psychologist for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, she provided individual and group therapy, crisis management, suicide risk management, and assessment services to individuals with a wide variety of presenting problems, ranging from adjustment issues to severe personality disorders and psychosis. She worked as part of an integrated treatment team in a residential therapeutic-community treatment program for inmates with severe mental illness. She also served as the coordinator for the care and management of transgender inmates, which involved providing individual and group treatment to transgender inmates, coordinating with other departments such as health services, monitoring safety concerns, and helping clients find creative ways to affirm gender identity while staying within the bounds of institutional rules. It continues to be a priority for Dr. Bracken to work with and be an advocate for minority and marginalized individuals while in private practice.
In 2018 Dr. Bracken changed career paths and left corrections to work in private practice, where she has since provided assessment and therapy services to adolescents and adults.