Kathleen Cooley, LMSW

Kathleen Cooley is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) in Michigan who brings four decades of social work experience to part-time clinical practice. After a long career in a variety of settings, she retired from full-time work but continues to offer counseling because she values meeting people and supporting them through life’s challenges. She understands that reaching out for help can feel intimidating, and she emphasizes a practice in which people are listened to and treated with respect as they share their stories.

Kathleen’s approach is eclectic, drawing primarily on cognitive and behavioral techniques alongside reality therapy, and she integrates additional methods as clients’ needs require. She has recent training in Cognitive Processing Therapy, a trauma-focused treatment often used for PTSD. Her clinical background spans work with children in school settings, adolescents in college, and adults across the spectrum from severe mental illness to adjustment difficulties.

She has experience addressing sexual and other abuse, suicidality, grief and loss, relationship challenges, depression, anxiety, and selective mutism among other concerns. Kathleen prefers video-based sessions that allow visual connection, though she is also available for phone and text-based communication. As a seasoned clinician who values collaboration and practical strategies, she welcomes those ready to explore therapy and offers a compassionate, steady presence to guide the process.

Therapeutic Approaches for Online Sessions

Kathleen often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. CBT offers practical tools and structured techniques that many people find useful for managing everyday challenges and mood concerns.

She also incorporates trauma-focused approaches that address the effects of past trauma through structured processing and skill building. These methods aim to help people reduce the ongoing impact of traumatic experiences and regain a sense of stability and coping.

Additionally, Kathleen uses client-centered principles that prioritize the individual's experience, offering empathy, acceptance, and collaboration as the foundation for change. This approach supports building trust and tailoring the work to each person's goals and preferences.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Kathleen works with clients to explore their needs, goals, and preferences and then adapts techniques to find the best fit. Through shared decision making she helps clients try strategies and adjust course as progress unfolds.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to meet, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face interaction that Kathleen prefers, while phone and messaging options make scheduling easier for busy lives or those with mobility or transportation limits. These delivery methods make ongoing therapeutic work more accessible and adaptable to each person’s routine.