Katherine Compitus

Dr. Katherine Compitus is a licensed clinical social worker, doctor of social welfare, and animal behavior scientist. Her research focuses on studying the commonalities between human and non-human animal behavior.

She is trained in multiple modalities including CBT and DBT and is a Certified Hypnotherapist and Certified Family Trauma Therapist. Katherine is the founder and chairman of Surrey Hills Sanctuary, a non-profit organization providing veterinary social work services in New York State.

Work Experience

• February 2020- Present – Member of the Board of Directors, The Brearley School Alumni Association
• December 2019- Present – Blogger, Psychology Today
• February 2019- January 2020 – Social Work Manager, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
• August 2018- January 2019 – Bilingual Clinician, ANDRUS, Peekskill, NY
• September 2018- Present – Adjunct Faculty, Fordham University, Graduate School of Social Work, New York, NY
• August 2018- Present – Member of the Board of Directors, Sarama Animal Rescue Organization
• January 2017- Present – Adjunct Faculty, New York University, Graduate School of Social Work, New York, NY
• January 2017- Present – Adjunct Faculty, Columbia University, Graduate School of Social Work, New York, NY
• November 2017- November 2018 – Clinical Psychotherapist, Great Moments, Ridgewood, NJ
• August 2015- September 2018 – Behavioral Health Clinician (Bilingual), Emergency Department, Orange Regional Medical Center, Middletown, NY
• October 2013- Present – Chairman of the Board of Directors and President, Surrey Hills Sanctuary, Goshen, NY
• November 2010- December 2015 – Managing Member, Wiggly Pups Pet Care, New York, NY
• February 2011- August 2011 – Social Work Intern, AHRC St. Francis de Paola, New York, NY
• September 2010- February 2011 – Grief Counselor/ Social Work Intern (Bilingual), The Animal Medical Center, New York, NY
• September 2009- May 2010 – Bilingual Social Work Intern, NYU Hospital For Joint Diseases, Ambulatory Care Department, New York, NY
• January 2008- June 2008 – Adjunct Lecturer, Teacher Education Department, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY, New York, NY

First- and Second-Author Publications

• Compitus, K. (Under Contract). The Human-Animal Bond in Clinical Social Work Practice. New York, NY: Springer.
• Compitus, K. (2019). The Process of Integrating Animal-Assisted Therapy into Clinical Social Work Practice. Clinical Social Work Journal, 1-9.
• Compitus, K. (2019). Traumatic pet loss and the integration of attachment-based animal-assisted therapy. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 29(2), 119-131.
• Compitus, K. (2019). Traumatic Pet Loss and the Clinician. In Counselman-Carpenter, E. & Redcay, A. (Eds.), Working with grief and traumatic loss: theory, practice, personal reflection & self-care. San Diego, CA: Cognella Publishing.
• Compitus, K. (2016). Welcome to the Psych Emergency Room, Huffington Post.
• Compitus, K. O. (2016). An Analysis of Canine Processing of Stimulus Compounds Varying in Light and Sound Intensity, CUNY Academic Works.
• Compitus, K. (2013). Canine Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer’s Disease. Academic Journal of Canine Science.

Education & Degrees

• 2020 – Doctor of Social Welfare (Clinical Social Work) – New York University, NY
• 2016 – Master of Arts in Biopsychology (Animal Behavior) – Hunter College, NY
• 2011 – Master of Clinical Social Work – New York University, NY
• 2003 – Master of Science in Education – Hunter College, NY
• 2001 – Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature – Hunter College, NY