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Hi There!

I am Dr. Kayla Cote.

Dr. Kayla Cote (née Kayla Murphy) is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in New Jersey and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in New York. She holds a Psy.D. in Clinical and School Psychology from Kean University. Dr. Cote currently practices as a psychotherapist under her LPC and LMHC licenses and is in the process of obtaining clinical psychology licensure in New Jersey and New York.

Dr. Cote has been practicing as a fully licensed psychotherapist since 2021. Her passion for working with children and caregivers began during her clinical internship at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University Maryland in 2019 and subsequently worked in a group private practice in New York City, where she completed her post-graduate clinical training and licensure requirements.

In 2021, Dr. Cote began her doctoral training at Kean University. While completing her doctoral program, she continued to practice clinically and worked in a group private practice in Hoboken, New Jersey. During this time, she gained additional experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families while further developing her clinical skills and therapeutic approach. She earned her Master of Arts in Educational Psychology in 2023, defended her doctoral dissertation in 2025, and graduated in 2026 with her Psy.D. in Clinical and School Psychology.

Throughout her education and clinical career, Dr. Cote has worked with diverse populations across clinical and educational settings. Her experience includes supporting young children and caregivers, school-age children, adolescents, adults, educators, and individuals navigating perinatal and postpartum concerns, anxiety, depression, traumatic stress, grief, and other life challenges. She draws from evidence-based therapeutic approaches and ongoing professional training to provide individualized, compassionate, and developmentally appropriate care.

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Schedule an Appointment

My Approach to Therapy

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Dr. Cote understands that therapy is a collaborative process built on trust, connection, and mutual respect. She takes the time to build rapport with each client and believes that establishing a strong therapeutic relationship is an important foundation for meaningful work in therapy. She recognizes that feeling comfortable, building trust, and opening up can take time, and she allows the therapeutic relationship to develop at a pace that feels appropriate for each client.

Dr. Cote is committed to her clients having an active voice in their therapy. Rather than being told what they “should” work on, clients are encouraged to share what is important to them, identify their goals, and participate in decisions about their treatment. Together, Dr. Cote and her clients work to identify meaningful goals and develop an individualized approach to support progress.

You are the expert on your own experiences, and therapy is a space where we work together to better understand those experiences and determine where you want to go next.

Dr. Cote recognizes that feeling safe, seen, and understood is an important part of the therapeutic process. She recognizes that clients bring their own identities, cultures, communities, histories, and lived experiences into the therapy room, including experiences of privilege and oppression. She practices with cultural humility and strives to create space where clients can speak openly about these experiences and feel heard, respected, and supported.

Dr. Cote believes that therapy creates space for meaningful change and growth. It is an opportunity to gently unravel what feels tangled, better understand yourself and your experiences, and develop new perspectives, values, and coping skills that allow you to grow and bloom in a way that feels authentic to you.

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Credentials

Degrees:

  • Doctor of Psychology in School & Clinical Psychology from Kean University

  • Masters of Arts in Educational Psychology from Kean University

  • Masters of Science in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University Maryland

  • Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from Loyola University Maryland

Licensure:

  • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) (NJ #37PC00778000)

  • Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) (NY #011314)

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Fun Facts About Dr. Cote:

I love to bake as a form of self-care! My favorite thing to bake is banana bread.

When I am not baking, you can find me listening to an audiobook while painting, walking, or doing a puzzle!

In 2025 I was able to go on Live TV on Pix 11 News to do a short Parenting segment .

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My favorite flowers are sunflowers & peonies. I love going to Holland Ridge Farms each year to go pick sunflowers in the Fall!