01 · Who Kathleen works with

Kathleen works with stress, Anxiety, grief and self esteem

Kathleen lists 12 specialisms and 11 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Kathleen chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Kathleen's own words

What Kathleen says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Hello! I’m a Colorado Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice since 1992. My practice is limited to adults. My theoretical orientation is in humanistic psychology, with training in cognitive-behavioral methods and solution-focused therapy. The merger of these methods means that I’m quite effective with people who want to discover their core strengths and core values and use them to achieve positive change in a variety of areas. Depression and anxiety, communication issues, self-esteem, grief and loss, recovery from unhappy or unhealthy relationships, better choice-making, transitions of all types and women’s self-emmpowerment are among my areas of experience.

My personal philosophy of therapy is that it is a garden in which we grow the roots and blossoms of individual potential – those innate and unique gifts, talents and “superpowers” that each of us is born with but have not yet fully cultivated. Once these aspects of self are identified, they can become allies in the healing process.

To that end, the watering can in my therapeutic toolshed is journal therapy, which I define as the intentional and purposeful use of life-based writing for healing, growth and change. I have helped to pioneer this field since 1985, when I was a first-year counseling graduate student. Client outcomes demonstrate that insight, clarity and positive outcomes come more quickly and easily when a journal is used as a companion in the therapeutic experience.

I love my work and have happily juggled being a therapist, a teacher/trainer and an author for over 30 years. My first book, Journal to the Self, was released in 1990 and was an immediate best-seller. It is now considered a classic in the field. My 13th book, Journal Therapy for Calming Anxiety, was released in June 2020.

Kathleen Adams, on the BetterHelp listing · read 8 Nov 2026

03 · How Kathleen works

The 5 approaches Kathleen lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Kathleen lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Kathleen's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Kathleen runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Kathleen practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Kathleen's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Kathleen at this point.

2. Naming Kathleen specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Kathleen is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Kathleen.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Kathleen

Built from what Kathleen actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Kathleen's - Kathleen has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 32 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

Colorado

Licence

CO LPC 770

Licence number

770

Licence expires

31 Aug 2027

NPI

1659966562

Years in practice

32

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Kathleen's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 8 Nov 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Kathleen. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.