Kathleen O'Connor, LICSW

Kathleen O'Connor is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) with 25 years of direct practice. She helps people facing depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, ADHD, bipolar mood concerns, grief, and stress. Kathleen also supports people dealing with relationship strain, parenting pressures, sleep problems, anger, career shifts, and compassion fatigue.

Her style is interactive and straightforward. She checks in often during sessions to make sure she hears what matters most. Sessions are shaped around the client’s goals, whether those goals are short term or take longer to reach.

Kathleen uses practical tools drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, dialectical behavior therapy, and mindfulness. She adapts techniques to each person instead of relying on one fixed method. The work focuses on concrete skills, clearer thinking, and small steps that build toward change.

Her background includes work in substance abuse treatment, psychiatric emergency settings, dialysis clinics, criminal justice, and community-based crisis services. She has provided in-home therapy, clinic work, and telehealth by phone and video. Kathleen has also worked in rural and urban settings and served people with complex needs over her career.

People who choose Kathleen can expect a respectful, nonjudgmental space and a collaborative plan. She aims to empower clients to reach realistic goals and to travel alongside them as they make changes.

How Kathleen’s Approaches Work Online

CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, focuses on identifying unhelpful thought patterns and testing them with practical exercises. It helps with anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and many daily struggles by teaching concrete coping skills. Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening, empathy, and working at a person’s pace to build trust and clarify goals. This approach is useful when someone needs a supportive space to sort out feelings and priorities.

Finding the right blend of methods is part of the process. Kathleen will work collaboratively to choose techniques that match a person’s goals, needs, and comfort level. She often blends CBT with motivational interviewing and mindfulness skills when that suits the plan, and checks in regularly to see what’s working or what should change.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet. Video calls allow full conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or for quick check-ins. Live chat and text-based messaging work well for shorter updates, coaching between sessions, or when someone prefers writing. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to keep momentum between appointments.