About Kathleen
Kathleen McCarthy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She brings 34 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, trauma, and relationship concerns. Her work is grounded in practical strategies and compassionate listening to help people move forward.
She commonly uses approaches such as EMDR, cognitive behavioral techniques, hypnotherapy, mindfulness, and solution-focused work. Sessions focus on clear goals and steps clients can try between meetings. Kathleen pays attention to how thoughts, habits, and body sensations interact when problems feel stuck.
Background and approach
Her background includes long experience in clinical care in Wisconsin. That history gives a broad perspective on mood disorders, post-traumatic stress, grief, and life transitions. She also addresses concerns such as eating and sleeping problems, parenting strain, compassion fatigue, and first responder or veteran-related stress.
In sessions she helps people sort priorities, develop coping skills, and test small changes. Kathleen supports exploration of self-esteem, intimacy, career decisions, and recovery from substance-related problems. She brings a practical, down-to-earth manner and will work at a pace that fits each person.
People contact her for focused work on trauma, anxiety, or life changes, and for coaching around goals. Kathleen practices in Wisconsin and offers services in English, including with international clients when arrangements allow.
Online approaches for trauma and stress
Kathleen commonly uses EMDR and cognitive behavioral techniques in online work. EMDR focuses on processing disturbing memories through guided attention and can help with post-traumatic stress and persistent trauma reactions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and teaches practical skills to manage anxiety, depression, or sleep and eating concerns.She also uses hypnotherapy and mindfulness strategies when those fit a person’s goals. Hypnotherapy can support focused relaxation and changing unhelpful habit patterns. Mindfulness helps people notice thoughts and bodily signals with less judgment and can reduce stress and reactivity. Deciding which approaches to use is a shared process; the therapist will discuss options and tailor a plan to the client’s needs and preferences.
Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation and guided exercises. Phone sessions can work well when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging suit short check-ins, brief coaching, and ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and to continue work even when in different places.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
What is her therapeutic style?
How much clinical experience does she have?
What are her credentials and where is she located?
Which languages are offered and can international clients connect?
What session formats are available?
How is payment handled?
How do I begin working with her?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
Also works with
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Co-morbidity
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Mood disorders
- Parenting issues
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sleeping disorders
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 34 years
- Licensed
- Wisconsin
- Languages
- English