Kalyn Sanderfer

Hey, Im Kalyn; a Licensed Master Social Worker–Clinical (LMSW-C) with a decade of experience across behavioral health, case management, community organizing, advocacy, and individualized treatment.

I’m a University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) graduate, with both my BA and MSW from UM. But my path to therapy started well before clinical practice. My work in community organizing and social change taught me early on that people’s struggles rarely exist in isolation. What happens in your relationships, work, family, health, identity, and environment matters—and I bring that full context into the room.

I help people navigate stress, anxiety, life transitions, relationships, health and wellness, and the decisions that come with trying to figure out what’s next. My goal isn’t just to help you talk about what’s going on, but to help you understand yourself, make intentional decisions, and develop practical skills you can actually use in everyday life.

And outside of work? I have three dogs, a huge (and very rambunctious) family, and plenty of experience navigating the beautiful chaos that comes with both.

My approach to therapy is practical, collaborative, and grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Acceptance & Comment therapy (ACT), with some somatic practices incorporated. I’m interested in more than helping you feel better in the moment. I want to help you understand how you think, recognize the patterns that keep you stuck, make decisions with more clarity, and develop tools you can actually use when life gets overwhelming. My clinical experience includes working with adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, chronic illness, major life changes, identity, and the complicated emotional weight that doesn’t always fit neatly into a diagnosis.

I bring my full self to this work. As a Black woman and community advocate, I understand that asking for help can be complicated, especially when you’ve spent a lot of your life being expected to hold everything together. Therapy with me is a space where you don’t have to perform, have all the answers, or make your experience smaller to make someone else comfortable.

I’m a good listener, and sometimes you really do just need a place to talk. But therapy with me isn’t about spending 50 minutes venting and calling it a day. We’ll use our time to better understand what’s happening, build practical coping skills, and connect the dots between your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and experiences.

The first session will give us both a real picture of what's going on and what you're hoping to get out of this. I'll ask about your history, what's bringing you in now, and what support has or hasn't worked before. You can share as much or as little as you're ready for; there's no script you need to follow. By the end, we'll have a sense of whether working together feels right, and I'll share some initial thoughts on what we might focus on. Most clients leave that first session feeling like they were actually heard; which, if you've been carrying things quietly for a while, can be a relief in itself.