Kathleen McCarthy , LCSW

Kathleen McCarthy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 34 years of experience. She practices psychotherapy in Wisconsin and helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and many life transitions.

Kathleen focuses on practical steps people can take to feel steadier and more able to meet daily demands. She often uses approaches that look at thoughts, behaviors, and body responses to reduce symptoms and rebuild coping. Sessions are conversational and goal-oriented, with attention to what a person wants to change.

Her background includes long experience supporting people after traumatic events and working with concerns such as grief, addiction, eating and sleeping troubles, and relationship or intimacy-related issues. She also brings experience addressing caregiver and first responder strain, fertility and adoption-related worries, and adjustment after major life changes.

Kathleen uses a mix of tools drawn from cognitive behavioral methods, trauma-focused work, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, hypnotherapy, mindfulness, and solution-focused techniques. She combines these to match each person's needs rather than following a single method.

People who choose her work with someone who emphasizes practical coping skills, self-compassion, and movement toward concrete goals. Kathleen helps clients examine unhelpful thoughts and habits while building routines that support recovery and better day-to-day functioning.

Therapeutic approaches and online care

CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with small behavioral changes to reduce anxiety and mood symptoms. It is often used to target stress, worry, and patterns that keep problems going.

EMDR, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, helps people process distressing memories by pairing focused recall with guided bilateral stimulation. It is commonly used for post-traumatic stress and other trauma-related symptoms.

Kathleen will work collaboratively to find the best approach for each person. She talks with clients about goals, preferences, and what has helped or not helped in the past. Together they choose methods and adjust them over time to match changing needs.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and chat or messaging can fit short check-ins or times when writing feels easier. These options make it possible to attend sessions from different locations and on varied schedules, helping therapy fit into daily life.