About Kathleen
Kathleen Lynch Gaffney is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people manage stress, anxiety, ADHD, depression, grief, and relationship concerns. She brings a calm, steady presence and a long career of practice to sessions. Kathleen listens carefully and aims to build a dependable therapeutic relationship with each person she meets.
She has 35 years of experience working with people from a wide range of backgrounds. That time has shaped a straightforward, person-focused approach.
Background and approach
Sessions are practical and paced to fit what each person needs that week. Kathleen draws on several approaches to guide work in therapy. She uses cognitive behavioral techniques to spot unhelpful thinking and try new patterns.
Mindfulness strategies help people notice reactions and choose different responses in their lives. Attachment-based ideas inform how she looks at relationship patterns and intimacy issues. Client-centered principles mean conversations follow what matters most to the person in the room.
These tools are mixed to match individual goals rather than follow a strict formula. Clients can expect a respectfully curious clinician who values reliability and openness. Kathleen emphasizes real-world skills for coping with life changes, parenting stress, career pressure, grief, and chronic worries.
She also has an interest in HIV and AIDS related concerns and brings that focus into her practice. Reaching out is an important step, and Kathleen welcomes hearing each person’s story to determine the best next steps together.
Approaches and how online sessions work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that reflect their values. It can be useful for anxiety, coping with life changes, and staying focused despite distraction. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thought and behavior and teaches practical skills to change those patterns, often used for anxiety, depression, and managing mood shifts. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and improve awareness of the present moment, which often helps with stress and emotional regulation.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which combination of methods fits best based on goals and preferences. Sessions can adjust over time as needs change, and Kathleen uses a flexible mix rather than a single fixed method.
Online formats offer practical benefits for people with busy lives. Video calls let conversations feel most like in-person sessions and allow visual cues. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can be easier when a camera is not wanted. Live chat and text-based messaging support shorter check-ins, writing out thoughts, or staying connected between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, school, or family schedules.
Questions people ask
What kinds of problems does Kathleen help with?
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What experience does she bring?
What are her credentials and where is she based?
Which languages are supported?
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How do I begin working together?
What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Grief
- HIV / AIDS
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 35 years
- Licensed
- New York
- Languages
- English
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