Meet Our Clinicians

I was born in Colorado and raised in Albuquerque, NM. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Human Development from the University of Chicago. Prior to attending medical school, I worked as a public health nutritionist for WIC, completed a policy fellowship, and coordinated the daily operations of a pediatric clinic. While studying medicine at the University of Colorado, I developed a passion for mental health and upon graduating I returned to the University of Chicago to complete my residency in Adult Psychiatry. I completed a Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Boston Children’s Hospital. I am passionate about psychotherapy, providing care through telemedicine, and medical education. When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my family, tending to my plants, live music, and staying physically active.

I have worked in academic medicine and various healthcare settings including ambulatory care, emergency rooms, and community health centers as a licensed psychologist and dual diagnosis clinician. I am currently the Behavioral Health Director at Hawaii Island Family Medicine Residency as well as Professor Emeritus at the College of Health Professions at Pacific University in Oregon. I have extensive experience working with residents, physicians, executive management, and other health care professionals on implementing effective wellness frameworks, lifestyle management protocols, career/leadership endeavors, and psychotherapy.

I value cultural humility, anti-racist practices, and trauma-informed environments within systems of care. I enjoy living in Hilo, Hawaii with my three French Bulldogs, and love cooking and gardening; orchids are my specialty.

I am a bi-lingual (Spanish/English) licensed clinical psychologist. After completing my training in clinical psychology and public health, I started my professional journey working with diverse populations in integrated healthcare. My passion and commitment for helping others have been integral to who I am since my early childhood. My goal is to help people achieve a holistic sense of well-being by focusing not only on emotional health, but also on physical health. I enjoy the outdoors, sports, and family time, and draw on these experiences to encourage and motivate people I work with.

I have worked alongside health care clinicians my entire career, starting in 2011 rounding in the hospital and working in the ED in South Chicago. From academic medicine to rural primary care, I understand the culture of medicine and struggles and sacrifices you make to do your work. Whether it is a life transition, getting through residency, maintaining a two clinician household, relationship struggles, or recovery from a bad outcome or loss we all need a little support.

I spend my free time exploring the PNW, spoiling my fur babies, being active outside, and cooking.

Dr. Katherine Buck is originally from North Carolina and trained at East Carolina University (Go Pirates!) in both Marriage and Family Therapy and Clinical Health Psychology. After finishing training in the Family Medicine department at the University of Colorado, she has been in Family Medicine residency education in Fort Worth, Texas for the past 5 years. In that role, she has been involved in training of medical students, residents, and behavioral medicine learners. Additionally, she has a strong interest in physician well-being and impairment concerns. Her clinical interests include couples therapy, sleep, and brief behavioral interventions. In her spare time, she enjoys watching football and any chance to go to the beach.

I have over ten years of experience working in hospitals and primary care settings as both a colleague and therapist to health professionals. One of the most meaningful professional experiences I’ve had was working with medical trainees. I understand the sacrifice and resilience it takes to be a health professional and the challenges of managing personal well-being under the weight of exceptional responsibility and stress. I have an integrative approach to therapy, using experiential, relational, and cognitive-behavioral techniques to help clients develop practical skills that support a greater sense of clarity and confidence and help them reconnect with the meaning in their professional and personal lives. I strive to be transparent, genuine, and warm and hope my clients feel seen and appreciated for their humanness and not a diagnosis.

As a licensed clinical psychologist with 10 years of experience working side-by -side with primary care clinicians and specialists, I’m extremely passionate about meeting the emotional needs of medical professionals serving our rural and underserved communities. I earned my PhD from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2010. Inspired by the intersection of medicine and psychology, I went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Access Community Health Centers and University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics before venturing out to the rural Oregon coast.

When not working, my free time is spent hanging out with my daughter, engaging in creative pursuits, exploring the beautiful state of Oregon in my vintage truck camper, and traveling as much as time and funds will allow.

I received my doctorate degree in Clinical Health Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and my postdoctoral training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School within the Transplant Institute. Throughout my career, I have worked with a variety of health professionals – both as colleagues and as clients. I find it immensely rewarding to work with clinicians as a guide towards wellness.

I work with health professionals experiencing a diverse range of struggles – anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, phobias, grief, relationship difficulty, and many more. My area of specialization is behavioral medicine – helping people cope with the psychological effects of medical conditions such as chronic pain, insomnia, and obesity/overweight.

I love spending time with my family and staying active. And recently I started exploring a new form of artistic expression – quilting!

I am a board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC), with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP). I collaborate with my clients in a whole person approach to mental health, including whether medication management is right for them. I follow evidence-based guidelines blended with clinical experience, personal observation, and intuition. My practice focus includes treatment of anxiety, trauma related conditions, mood disorders, life transitions, relationship health, expecting and postpartum parents, and consultation with other health care providers.

I am a licensed counseling psychologist and social justice advocate who is committed to promoting meaningful and inclusive spaces for diverse communities. My experience has been in community mental health and higher education overseeing community engagement, clinical training operations, and development of cultural competency among clinicians. With my intersecting identities, I aim to empower and tailor care for healthcare professionals to heal, build community, and create collective strength at the individual and systemic level.

As a daughter of immigrants, I am energized by time spent with loved ones, especially if it involves cooking and food! I also love being active with my dog Murphy and turning my home slowly into a plant filled space.

I have been a clinical health psychologist for over 20 years and have spent my entire career working in medical settings. I began caring exclusively for health professionals, primarily physicians, in 2017. My other passion is practicing and teaching mindfulness and I am a Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) teacher at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Healthcare Center for Mindfulness.

If I can be outdoors, I will be – walking, hiking, cycling, kayaking, or lying in the grass reading. I am a proud mother of two amazing kids who bring me joy beyond measure.