About Kathleen
Kathleen Lynch Gaffney is a New York licensed clinical social worker who helps people coping with anxiety, stress, grief, depression, trauma, and relationship or intimacy concerns. She works with those managing parenting strain, eating or anger issues, and people navigating career changes, ADHD, bipolar mood challenges, or compassion fatigue. Kathleen listens with steadiness and aims to build a dependable therapeutic relationship.
She brings 35 years of practice to each session.
How Kathleen works
That experience includes supporting people affected by HIV and AIDS. Kathleen draws on practical methods to help clients manage symptoms, regain balance, and make realistic changes in daily life. Her style is direct and warm.
Sessions focus on what matters to the person in front of her. She prioritizes clear goals, consistent attendance, and honest conversation about progress and setbacks. Kathleen often uses acceptance and commitment ideas to help people name values and take small actions toward them.
She also uses cognitive behavioral ideas to spot unhelpful thinking and try different behaviors. Mindfulness and attachment-based approaches appear in sessions when they fit the person’s needs. Therapy can include conversations over video or phone, as well as live chat and text-based messaging.
Getting started involves a short matching questionnaire and scheduling through the service’s process. Kathleen encourages taking the first step when someone is ready to begin.
Kathleen lists 8 ways of working on the entry:
What Kathleen works with
The areas below are the ones Kathleen selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- 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
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 35 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | New York |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How Kathleen’s approaches translate to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, uses values and small committed actions to help people move forward despite difficult thoughts or feelings. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions by focusing on what matters most and taking steps toward those aims. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact. It helps people notice unhelpful thinking patterns and try different behaviors to reduce distress and improve functioning. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and breathing practices to reduce reactivity and increase moment-to-moment awareness, which can support stress, anger, and trauma recovery.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Kathleen will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and preferences and together decide which combination of methods fits best. That collaborative process is revisited as progress is made so the plan can change if something isn’t helpful.
Online therapy makes these methods accessible through several formats. Video calls let people use gesture and facial cues for a fuller conversation. Phone sessions require less bandwidth and can fit into a work break or commute. Live chat and text-based messaging offer shorter check-ins, note-taking, or ongoing support between sessions. These options create flexibility so therapy can fit into different schedules and day-to-day demands.
Start online instead of waiting
Our partner service asks a few questions about what you are looking for and matches you with a therapist for sessions from home.
Explore online therapy optionsWe will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you.
Common questions
What concerns does she address?
What is her general therapy style?
How long has she been practicing?
What credential does she hold and where is she located?
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Can people outside the U.S. work with her?
What session formats are available?
How do fees and getting started work?
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.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. Entries are not assessed or endorsed by this directory.
Other entries for stress, anxiety
Supportive LCSW helping people build strength and clarity
Practical, trauma-aware therapy for everyday life
Practical, relational therapy for life transitions