Kat Hurley LCSW, APHSW-C holds a Bachelor of Science in Theater and Dance from Skidmore College and a Masters of Social Work with a concentration in Hospice and Palliative Care from Fordham University.
Kat came to a career in clinical social work after 17 years as a professional dancer. She attended Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service, where she was offered an advanced year Palliative Care Fellowship.
Following graduation, Kat pursued a post masters fellowship in palliative care at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY. She has obtained advanced training in Dignity Therapy (ADEC), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Beck Institute), Yoga and Mindfulness for Cancer Patients (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) CALM Psychotherapy training (Princess Margaret Cancer Center) Grief and Loss Externalization Therapy Training (Tucson Medical Center) Anxiety Therapy (PESI) CBT at the Bedside for Anxiety, Insomnia and Depression (City of Hope) and EMDR for Healthcare Workers (Robbie Adler-Tapia, PhD-the Steve Frankel Group).
Kat has a private therapy practice in Madison CT and New York City, NY focusing on grief, loss and bereavement, medical crisis counseling, and healthcare worker burnout prevention. Kat has guest lectured on grief, loss, palliative care social work and improvisation for health care professionals at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service. Kat has presented on Grief and Loss, Children’s Grief, Palliative Care and Hospice, Meaning Making from Loss, Boundaries and Trauma Stewardship at numerous interdisciplinary team meetings at New York Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center, UPC/staff inservices, Grand Rounds, the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network National Conference (SWHPN), as well as the International Association of Social Work With Groups (IASWG). Kat also authored a chapter on De escalating highly emotional encounters for the second edition of the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Care Social Work, published by Oxford University Press, 2022.