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KG Portrait of Kathleen Lynch Gaffney

Kathleen Lynch Gaffney

Compassionate, experienced guidance for life transitions

LCSW New York

Experience
35 years in practice
Focus areas
Stress, Anxiety, Family, Trauma and abuse
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Languages
English

About Kathleen

Kathleen Lynch Gaffney is a New York licensed clinical social worker who focuses on helping people navigate stress, anxiety, grief, trauma, relationship and intimacy concerns, mood disorders, and life transitions.

Background and approach

With 35 years of clinical experience, she works from a collaborative, respectful stance and invites clients to share their stories so together they can identify practical, sustainable steps forward. Her practice blends evidence-based methods such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with acceptance, attachment, and mindfulness-informed approaches.

Kathleen emphasizes listening and reliability as foundational to the therapeutic relationship, aiming to create a space where clients feel heard while learning new ways to manage emotions, cope with change, and address challenges like parenting, career strain, eating concerns, ADHD, compassion fatigue, and issues related to HIV/AIDS.

She encourages reaching out as a constructive first step and supports clients in exploring goals and options at a pace that fits their needs. Kathleen accepts sessions via multiple online formats to accommodate different schedules and preferences.

Therapeutic approaches and online care tailored to you

Kathleen often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help clients identify and shift unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors, which can be useful for managing anxiety, depression, and stress-related concerns. She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to support people in clarifying their values, building psychological flexibility, and learning practical acceptance skills for difficult feelings.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together; Kathleen takes a collaborative stance and will help clients explore which methods align with their goals, preferences, and life circumstances. She adjusts techniques based on feedback and progress so that therapy feels personally relevant and workable.

Online therapy offers practical advantages for many people, and Kathleen provides video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to increase flexibility and access. These formats allow scheduling to better fit busy lives, enable continuity of care across locations within New York, and make it easier to maintain therapeutic momentum between sessions.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Kathleen commonly address?
Her practice addresses a broad range of issues including stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, eating and parenting concerns, anger, self-esteem, bipolar disorder, ADHD, compassion fatigue, and coping with life changes, with an additional focus on HIV/AIDS.
What is her therapeutic style and approach?
She uses a collaborative, respectful stance and integrates approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Mindfulness Therapy to tailor care to each person's needs.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She brings 35 years of professional experience working with people from diverse backgrounds and ages.
Where is Kathleen licensed to practice?
She is a licensed clinical social worker in New York and holds the credential LCSW with license number NY LCSW 036173.
Does she offer services in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are provided in English, and she is not currently accepting international clients.
Which session formats are available?
She offers a variety of online options including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different preferences and schedules.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
To get started, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Also works with

Relationship issuesIntimacy-related issuesEating disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

HIV / AIDS

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused Therapy

Experience

35+ years

Licensed

New York

Languages

English