About Gretchen
Gretchen Wesche is a licensed clinical social worker with 37 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and grief. She supports people dealing with relationship and intimacy issues, addictions, self-esteem struggles, and major life changes. Her work also covers career strain, compassion fatigue, and attention-related concerns such as ADHD.
Gretchen uses straightforward, practical conversation to understand what matters most to each person. She listens closely and helps people set clear goals.
How Gretchen works
Sessions focus on small, doable steps that can change daily routines and thinking patterns. Her approach blends several styles to fit each person’s needs. She draws on client-centered methods to follow the person’s lead, cognitive behavioral techniques to spot and change unhelpful thoughts, and mindfulness practices to build calm and focus.
Motivational interviewing helps when people want to make big changes but feel stuck. Over decades of practice in Minnesota, Gretchen has worked with many kinds of concerns tied to family of origin, blended family issues, caregiver stress, and aging-related topics. She also addresses substance use, codependency, communication problems, and the emotional fallout of divorce and separation.
In sessions she aims for clarity and compassion. She helps people identify realistic steps, rehearse new behaviors, and track progress. The emphasis is on practical tools that fit each person’s life and goals.
Gretchen lists 6 ways of working on the entry:
What Gretchen works with
The areas below are the ones Gretchen selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Grief
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Personality disorders
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LICSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 37 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Minnesota |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and following the person’s priorities. In practice this means the therapist reflects back concerns, helps clarify goals, and adapts session pace to the person’s needs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It involves identifying unhelpful thought patterns and practicing alternative behaviors to reduce anxiety or low mood.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss options and try methods that fit the person’s goals and preferences. That collaborative process lets the person test what helps and adjust the plan over time.
Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility. Video calls let people use visual cues and a fuller conversation. Phone sessions can be lower bandwidth and easier to fit into a work break. Live chat and text messaging work well for brief check-ins, coaching-style notes, or for people who prefer writing over speaking. These formats make it easier to keep regular contact and practice new skills between sessions.
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Common questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
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Where is she based and what credential does she hold?
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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