About Kathy
Kathy Smith is a licensed clinical social worker with 40 years of experience helping people manage stress and anxiety. She works with adults who are facing grief, depression, major life changes, or compassion fatigue. Kathy keeps conversations straightforward and respectful so people can focus on what matters most to them.
Her approach centers on listening first and tailoring support to each person. She believes everyone is doing the best they can with the skills they have.
Background and approach
Kathy helps clients identify small, practical steps they can use right away. Kathy uses a mix of methods to suit different needs. She draws from cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness practices, and acceptance-based approaches to reduce distress and build daily coping skills.
Motivational interviewing and client-centered dialogue guide how she helps people find their own direction. Many people seek her help for caregiver stress, chronic illness or pain, and issues tied to family of origin. She also supports those dealing with emptiness, guilt, shame, relationship communication problems, and midlife transitions.
Kathy explains options and partners with people to set realistic goals. Kathy is licensed in North Dakota and Minnesota as an LCSW and LICSW. Sessions are offered in English and can be scheduled through the site's matching process.
She aims to make starting therapy as simple as possible and honors the courage it takes to reach out.
How Kathy’s approaches translate to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, low mood, and when big life changes feel overwhelming. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying patterns of thought and behavior that keep problems going and testing new ways of responding. CBT often helps with anxiety and depression by building practical skills for daily life. Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and creating a warm, nonjudgmental space where people can find their own solutions and clarify goals.Figuring out the right approach is part of the work together. Kathy will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and then recommend methods that fit. She adjusts techniques over time so they match changing needs and what each person finds most helpful.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video calls work well for conversations that benefit from visual cues, while phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and messaging are useful for brief check-ins, homework support, or when a shorter interaction fits someone’s day. These options help people fit therapy into busy schedules and maintain continuity even when travel or other demands make in-person sessions difficult.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 40 years
- Licensed
- North Dakota, Minnesota
- Languages
- English
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