Kathleen O'Connor, LICSW

Kathleen O'Connor is a master's-prepared clinical social worker with more than 25 years of direct service across a wide range of settings and client ages. She holds the LICSW credential - Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker - in Massachusetts and brings experience from prior licensure in Indiana and Ohio, along with past certification as a Chemical Dependency Counselor in Ohio.

During her MSW training she participated in a multi-disciplinary consortium and earned a Specialized Mental Health Provider certificate, with a focus on working with people who have severe mental illness and co-occurring diagnoses. Her professional path began as Social Services Director in a 114-bed nursing home in 1995, and since then she has worked in substance abuse treatment, criminal justice settings, dialysis clinics, psychiatric emergency rooms, community programs, rural and inner-city environments, and in-home therapy.

Kathleen has supported clients ranging from age 3 to 102 and has provided community-based crisis care as well as telehealth via phone and video. Her practice emphasizes meeting clients where they are, partnering to set reachable goals, and tailoring care to each person’s needs. She uses an interactive counseling style with frequent check-ins to ensure clear communication and responsiveness.

Kathleen blends several therapeutic methods - including motivational interviewing, mindfulness practices, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and trauma-focused CBT - to address concerns such as addictions, trauma, mood disorders, anxiety, relationship and family issues, grief, caregiving stress, and self-esteem. She prioritizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion in treatment and adjusts the length and focus of work to match each client’s goals and situation.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Kathleen draws on several evidence-informed approaches to guide online sessions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT - helps clients identify and change unhelpful thought and behavior patterns, making it useful for anxiety, depression, mood disorders, and sleep difficulties. Dialectical Behavior Therapy - DBT - emphasizes skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and effective interpersonal communication, which can help with intense emotions, relationship challenges, and coping under stress. Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, goal-focused style that supports people in finding their own motivation for change, often used in work with addictions and when ambivalence is present.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Kathleen works collaboratively with each person to assess needs, preferences, and goals, and then tailors methods and the treatment plan accordingly. Licensed professionals and therapists will adjust techniques as progress unfolds so care stays aligned with what the client finds most helpful.

Online therapy with Kathleen is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexibility for busy schedules, caregiving responsibilities, or mobility limits. These formats make it easier to maintain continuity of care and to access therapy from different locations while keeping the focus on practical, goal-oriented work.