About Kathrina
Kathrina Cauckwell-Rafferty is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) based in California who focuses on helping people navigate addiction, trauma, relationship struggles, and major life changes. She uses a practical, person-first style to help people build coping skills, repair strained relationships, and find sources of support. Kathrina writes in a direct, compassionate way and aims to make the first steps feel manageable.
Over the past ten years she has worked extensively with substance use concerns and related issues.
How Kathrina works
That experience includes counseling people impacted by domestic violence and sexual abuse, and participating in specialty programs that addressed complex family situations. These roles shaped her approach to trauma and addiction work and deepened her focus on safety and steady progress. Her approach blends client-centered therapy, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and motivational interviewing.
Sessions focus on practical skill building, honest conversations about goals, and clear steps toward change. She prioritizes a nonjudgmental atmosphere where people can set personal goals and try new ways of coping. Kathrina offers flexible online formats including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging.
She answers messages twice daily, seven days a week, and coordinates scheduling around the times that work best for each person. People who come for help with grief, anxiety, intimacy issues, parenting strains, workplace stress, or multicultural concerns can expect straightforward guidance and steady support. Kathrina aims to help people move from feeling stuck toward practical change and healthier routines.
Kathrina lists 3 ways of working on the entry:
What Kathrina works with
The areas below are the ones Kathrina selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Parenting issues
Also listed
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- Blended family issues
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Multicultural concerns
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 10 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | California |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How Kathrina’s Approaches Work Online
Client-Centered Therapy puts the person’s goals at the center of each session. The therapist listens closely and helps people set and pursue goals at their own pace, which can help when coping with addiction, grief, or family stress.Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, emphasizes practical skills for managing strong emotions and improving relationships. It teaches techniques such as distress tolerance and emotion regulation that can be practiced between sessions to reduce impulsive reactions and build stability.
Motivational Interviewing focuses on building someone’s own reasons for change. It uses open questions and reflective listening to strengthen motivation, which is useful for substance use and other behaviors that feel stuck.
Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods match their needs, goals, and preferences, and will adjust the plan as progress is made.
Online sessions offer flexible ways to connect through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video is useful for deeper conversations when visual cues help, phone sessions can fit a break at work or when bandwidth is limited, and chat or messaging can support quick check-ins or ongoing coaching. These options make it easier to attend regular sessions and keep momentum between meetings.
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Common questions
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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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