Kristen Shepherd , LMSW

Kristen Shepherd is a licensed master social worker with 15 years of clinical experience. She trained at the University of Michigan School of Social Work and has spent much of her career helping people rebuild after difficult experiences. She works with adults on stress, anxiety, relationship strain, trauma, mood issues, and concerns common across women’s lives.

Early in her career she worked in high-needs school settings for a decade. That work shaped her practical approach to problems and her ability to communicate clearly with people from varied backgrounds. Over time she shifted to individual and couples work to spend more time building deep therapeutic relationships.

Kristen tailors sessions to each person. She meets clients where they are and helps them identify areas to change. In couples work she focuses on communication, intimacy, and small steps partners can practice outside sessions to improve connection.

She uses trauma-focused care to help people notice wounds that keep them stuck and to process painful experiences at a manageable pace. Kristen also draws on approaches that encourage emotional awareness and concrete skill-building for daily life.

Clients can expect a collaborative, down-to-earth style. She aims for clear goals and steady progress rather than quick fixes. Kristen welcomes conversations about body image, parenting stress, addiction concerns, grief, ADHD, and many other life challenges.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Kristen often uses Attachment-Based Therapy to help people understand how early relationships shape current patterns. This work focuses on noticing how you connect, and it can help with intimacy problems, trust issues, and feeling safer in relationships.

She also draws on Client-Centered Therapy, which centers the client's experience and priorities. That approach means sessions move at your pace and focus on what matters most to you, whether that's self-esteem, coping with loss, or managing stress.

Choosing an approach is a collaborative process. Kristen will talk with you about your goals and life circumstances and help decide which methods to try first. She checks in regularly and adjusts the plan based on what helps you make steady progress.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat lets you check in quickly during a busy day, and text-based messaging suits short updates or brief reflections. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or travel schedules while keeping focus on the therapeutic work.