Katerina Krieger, PA-C, brings a rare combination of neuroscience training, surgical critical care experience, and specialized eating disorder treatment to Axis Integrated Mental Health. Board-certified and currently completing the Eating Recovery Center Fellowship Series, Katerina has treated the full spectrum of eating disorders across inpatient, residential, and partial hospitalization settings. Today, she prescribes and manages Deep TMS and ketamine therapies for patients whose conditions have not responded to traditional psychiatric medications alone, or may need step-down care once they’ve completed an in-patient recovery program.

At Axis, Katerina offers collaborative, patient-centered psychiatric care across multiple Colorado locations, including Denver, Aurora, Westminster, and Boulder. She works with adults navigating mental health conditions that may be associated with eating disorders, treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, suicidality, and self-harm.

What Makes Treating Eating Disorders Alongside Mood Disorders So Important?

Eating disorders rarely exist in isolation. Research consistently shows that the majority of people diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder also meet criteria for at least one co-occurring mood or anxiety disorder. Depression, PTSD, and suicidal ideation frequently complicate recovery, and treating only one condition while ignoring the other leads to higher relapse rates and longer treatment timelines.

Katerina approaches this overlap directly. Her background at the Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center means she has treated patients in the acute phases of both eating disorders and psychiatric crises simultaneously. She understands how food restriction can amplify depression, how purging behaviors can be driven by trauma responses, and how the rigid thought patterns characteristic of anorexia often mirror those seen in OCD and anxiety disorders.

This dual-lens perspective allows Katerina benefits patients who may have may have recovered from an eating disorder in the past but may still need outpatient support with their mental health to stay well.

Clinical Approach: Collaborative Psychiatric Care with Advanced Treatment Options

Katerina’s clinical philosophy centers on walking alongside her patients rather than dictating treatment. She does not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to medication, and she emphasizes shared decision-making at every step. Her process typically begins with a thorough psychiatric evaluation that explores not just current symptoms but personal history, previous treatment responses, coping strategies, and the patient’s own goals for recovery. “Tolerating” meds is not the same thing as wellness and this is a central value for Axis Integrated Mental Health, who’s “more than meds” approach has won numerous accolades across Colorado.

When traditional psychiatric medications are insufficient on their own, Katerina draws on advanced treatment modalities available at Axis Integrated Mental Health. These include Deep TMS, which uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific brain regions involved in mood regulation and impulse control, and ketamine therapy, which works on the glutamate system to create rapid improvements in depression and suicidal thinking. Spravato (esketamine), an FDA-approved nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression, is also available through the practice.

Katerina places strong emphasis on the combination of medication management with formal therapy, coping skill development, and community connection. She has seen firsthand that psychiatric medications work best when patients also have the support of a licensed therapist, a structured skill-building practice, and meaningful social relationships.

Who Katerina Helps

Katerina works with adults experiencing eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), binge eating disorder, and other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED). She also treats depression, treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, self-harm, suicidality, ADHD, personality disorders, and psychotic disorders.

Her patients often include individuals who have cycled through multiple providers or treatment programs without achieving lasting stability, people navigating the intersection of eating disorders and mood disorders, and those who are open to advanced treatments like TMS or ketamine after traditional approaches have fallen short.

Background and Credentials

Katerina earned her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where she worked in a research laboratory studying epilepsy through behavioral studies and neurosurgery. She completed her Master of Physician Assistant Studies at Rocky Vista University in Parker, Colorado. She is NCCPA board certified and holds active BLS, ACLS, and PALS certifications.

Before entering psychiatry, Katerina worked as a Physician Assistant in burn surgery at Swedish Medical Center, managing critically ill patients in the Burn ICU and assisting in reconstructive surgeries. This surgical background gave her experience with complex medical comorbidities, goals-of-care discussions, and the psychological dimensions of physical trauma recovery, all of which inform her psychiatric practice today.

Personal Connection

Katerina has always been drawn to understanding the brain. From her undergraduate neuroscience research to her clinical work with burn survivors and eating disorder patients, a consistent thread runs through her career: a deep respect for patients’ resilience and a belief in their capacity for change.

“I was inspired by patients’ ability to work through past trauma, learn new coping skills, optimize psychiatric medications, and benefit from ketamine and TMS therapies to work toward sustained recovery,” she says. “I made the transition to outpatient psychiatry because I love seeing patients progress over time, gaining confidence to move through the world in a more helpful way to achieve lives full of joy, satisfaction, and purpose.”

Schedule an Appointment with Katerina Krieger, PA-C

Katerina is accepting new patients at Axis Integrated Mental Health locations across the Denver metro area, including Denver, Aurora, Westminster, and Boulder. Telehealth appointments are also available for patients throughout Colorado via telehealth. To schedule a consultation, call (720) 400-7025or request an appointment online with Katerina at axismh.com.