509.402.2208
Get to Know Me
I was born a poet before I became a psychologist.
My name is Kayden and my pronouns are they/them. I am a scholar, activist, counseling psychologist, and coach living on Yakama land in rural Washington. I currently provide services via telehealth in Washington state, and participating PSYPACT states
I grew up in a small town of 2,000 and am a first generation scholar psychologist. I am a faculty member by day at Heritage University, and maintain a small, intimate private practice. I find that I am creative in how I explore client's inner worlds, and so prefer to keep my caseload small in order to tailor my work to meet each individual's unique goals.
I am an artist, a poet, a parent, and fluent in English and Spanish. As such, I provide services in English and Spanish, and utilize creative approaches in my clinical work. I specialize in working with folks wanting to explore gender identity, sexual orientation, spirituality and religious deconstruction (and reconstruction), as well as working on eating disorder recovery and restoring our relationships to our bodies. I am a firm believer in fat liberation, harm reduction, and meeting you where you are at - my liberation is bound up in yours.
I love working with other artists and people who are really invested in doing the work of understanding themselves and the worlds we inhabit.
If this sounds like you, please reach out. I am so excited to meet you.
Recent Publications & Trainings
Here is some of what I've been up to lately.
July 2023
[Dead Name] with Kith Books
https://www.kithbooks.com/shop/p/vargas
In [DEAD NAME] The Names of My Dead Kayden Vargas troubles our notions of (home)town and family. Are we the people and places that birthed us or are we each our own creation of home? Is there grief in revisiting the landscapes that launched you? Why must we read shame into the handcraft of building a body, a future, a home? Not all can or want to be salmon. Some of us will always be happier to face into the future, backs firmly turned on everything we’ve left to become.
Release Date: July 25, 2023
June 2023
Gender Equity On the Front Lines: Washington State Hospital Association
Invited Speaker
Keynote speaker with Washington State Hospital CEOs about the important and applicability of gender affirming healthcare.
Snoqualmie Health
Pronouns 202: Neopronouns, gender affirming healthcare, and more!
Workshop as a followup on how to utilize pronousn and other best practices to support TGNC and gender expansive patients in the medical context.
May 2022
[Bottom] Growth
Poetry publication
Vargas, K. M. (2022). Bloom Magazine i05. https://issuu.com/bloomxmagazine/docs/issue_05-final
To purchase in print: https://www.peecho.com/print/en/1128604
May 2022
Columbia Communion
Poetry publication
Vargas, K.M. (2022) Shrub steppe Poetry Journal, Spring 2022.
More information about Shrub steppe poetry here: https://shrubsteppepoetry.org/
May 2022
Bright & Beloved Bang
Poetry publication
Vargas, K.N. (2022). Shrub steppe Poetry Journal. Spring 2022.
More information about Shrub steppe poetry here: https://shrubsteppepoetry.org/
December 2021
Gender Pronouns 101: Cascade Medical
Invited Training
This training provided an introduction to gender equity in the work place, an introduction to pronouns, trans inclusion, and assistance in launching pronoun badges within a medical context at Cascade Medical in Leavenworth, WA.