Our Team
TRAUMA SPECIALIST
Meet Dr. Kristy McKiness
Dr. Kristy McKiness Ed.D, LCPC, ACS
Executive Director
Dr. Kristy McKiness Ed.D, LCPC, ACS is the founder of KM Institute LLC, and has been in the helping profession since 2001. She completed her doctorate degree in Counseling and Higher Education at Northern Illinois University. Dr. McKiness has rendered services in settings including jail, emergency room, outpatient, residential, and schools. She highly enjoys working with adolescents and their families as well as adults and couples.
She is dedicated to serving first responders, and completed her doctoral dissertation on police officers perspectives of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training. Dr. McKiness has worked with first responders since 2001 through collaboration with CACI and forensic interviewing, providing professional trainings, rendering mental health and substance abuse services to responders and their families, providing officer wellness assessments, and training other clinicians to work with first responders. She serves as the Board President of the Illinois Firefighter Peer Support team. She is also a NEMRT certified trainer for CIT trainings. She holds certifications the areas of sexual assault and domestic violence, is a certified divorce mediator and forensic interviewer, and has a certification as an Approved Clinical Supervisor.
With regard to her clinical style, Dr. McKiness enjoys working with her clients to reach their personal goals while enhancing their emotional wellness. She recognizes change to be a positive part of growth, progress, and opportunities. She believes in empowering her clients to help them identify their strengths as one avenue of creating long last change. Dr. McKiness highly enjoys working with adolescents, adults, couples, and families.
She is also passionate about teaching counselors-in-training, and is an adjunct faculty member in the Northern Illinois University graduate counseling program. She also enjoys providing professional presentations, and has presented at state and national level conferences on a variety of topics including adolescent risk and threat assessment, trauma, and Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT).
Email: Kristy@thekminstitute.com Phone: 331-213-9706
Meet Jennifer Baltazar
Jennifer Baltazar, LCPC
We all go through times in our lives that may be difficult to manage on our own, and that are difficult to express to others. However, when we do share with others, we may find that this process can be uplifting and encouraging.
I have worked with clients of all ages from children to older adults with a majority the of time spent working in adolescence through adulthood. I have worked in multiple settings including inpatient hospitalization, adult and adolescent partial hospitalization, and emergency rooms. I work with individuals, couples, and families. I have experience working with various mental disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar, adjustment disorder, mood disorders, trauma, grief and loss, anger management, substance abuse, difficulty with life transitions, and assist couples and families on improving communication skills and relationship dynamics.
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I utilize cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and work from a strengths based, client-centered, and solution focused approach in a supportive and nonjudgmental environment. My main focus has been in working with individuals with various mood disorders and substance abuse.
I appreciate others for sharing their stories and enjoy learning new things. I have three wonderful but challenging children in very different stages that help to teach me new things every day. I enjoy keeping busy which is generally pretty easy to do.
Meet Dr. Ian Hoffman
Dr. Ian Hoffman, PsyD
Dr. Ian Hoffman, PsyD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist has worked in the field of mental health for the past ten years. Previous work experience includes hospital, private practice, school, and community mental health settings. He completed his doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology through the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Hoffman has presented in the community on how to manage problematic behavior at home and strategies for reducing anxiety and stress.
Drawing on his background in therapy and neuropsychological assessment, Dr. Hoffman conducts psychological evaluations with children, adolescents, and adults to help connect families to services and provide strategies for growth. Specific areas of focus include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, learning disorders, and mood/behavioral disorders. Dr. Hoffman seeks to provide each family with a deeper understanding of their child’s unique strengths and steps for academic, social, and emotional success.
Office Manager
Kristen DiMonda
What an honor it is to be a part of this very talented team at KM Institute. I am a graduate from North Central College where I majored in Psychology and Business. I have a passion for helping others, and I love providing solutions for situations that may seem challenging. I have eight years of experience working as an office manager at a private family practice, where I was able to gain extensive knowledge in all matters of insurance and work one-on-one with patients. I am a firm believer in advocating on behalf of the doctor and for the patient. Understanding insurance can seem complicated, so it is my goal to make you feel at ease in this area throughout the duration of your care here at KM Institute. I love organization, detail, and I look forward to bringing support to this community, so that you can focus on your care and achieve your goal towards a happier and healthier future.
Meet Jessica Curry
Jessica Curry LSW
No one is meant to bear their burdens alone. I understand the difficulty of making ourselves vulnerable enough to ask for and accept help. As your therapist, it is my goal to assist you with finding solutions and overcoming obstacles in your life. I have experience working with children, adolescents, and adults in both an inpatient and partial hospitalization setting. My specialties include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, substance abuse, life transitions, and self-injury/suicidal thoughts.
As a Licensed Social Worker, I have some experience with many different modules of therapy, however, my go to is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It is important to me to use a client-centered and solution focused approach. It is my goal to ensure that I create an environment where my clients feel as supported as possible.
I am thankful for all my clients, their stories, and being able to be a part of their journey toward healing.
Specialties: Anxiety, High Achievement/Perfectionism, Relationships, Life Transitions, Depression, Self Injury, Grief/Loss, High School and College adjustment
Meet Katie Johnson
Katie Johnson LCPC Life is hard sometimes, and it is important to have a place to go to release some of life’s burdens. I have over a decade of experience working with a wide range of people and diagnoses, and my goal is to provide a safe place for people to share their experiences without judgment. I see therapy as a collaborative process – I am here to help you help yourself. We will set goals together, and work together to help you reach them. I value the human connection that comes from a therapeutic relationship, and it is important that you feel heard and understood as you work toward your goals. I am incredibly passionate about working with first responders and their families. Cultural competence is so important with this population, and as the wife of a firefighter/paramedic and the daughter of a police officer, I have been around first responder culture my whole life. It is important to me to destigmatize mental health issues in this population, and to offer help when they need it most. I also have years of experience working with survivors of sexual trauma. Having started my career in child advocacy centers and rape crisis centers, I have met many people who have been wounded by the trauma of unwanted sexual contact. But there is hope for healing, and I will gladly walk alongside you as you navigate that process. My areas of expertise/experience include: trauma and PTSD, depression, anxiety and OCD, borderline personality disorder, and addiction. I utilize evidence based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Exposure Therapy, Behavior Modification, and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to aid in the improvement of symptoms and overall life satisfaction. I work with adults and adolescents over 16 years of age.
Meet Andrea Picl
Andrea Picl LCPC
It is my passion to help individuals, families and couples be the best version of themselves.
I have over a decade of experience empowering individuals to overcome obstacles and embrace personal growth. In my practice I utilize various modalities to meet your unique needs. I specialize in trauma, depression, anxiety/stress, loss/grief, anger, parenting and assisting couples and families on improving communication skills and relationship dynamics.
Dedicated to empowering individuals, I believe in the power of the therapeutic relationship. Through a collaborative effort, we’ll navigate challenges and celebrate successes as we establish and progress towards your goals. Let’s embark on this transformative journey together!