Kathleen OMahony

Therapy with me is a place to slow down and make sense of what's been weighing on you. Maybe it's anxiety that won't quiet down, stress that's piled up, a hard transition, or a sense that you're stuck and not sure why. You don't need to have it all figured out before you reach out—that's what the work is for.

My approach is warm, direct, and practical. Rather than just talking about how you feel, we'll look at the thinking underneath the feeling—the assumptions and mental habits that keep certain patterns in place—and build tools you can actually use between sessions, not just insight you leave in the room.

I'm a licensed psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience. I hold a master's degree in Applied Clinical Psychology from William Paterson College and an advanced certification in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) from the Albert Ellis Institute, where I trained in the approach that anchors my work today. Early in my career, I taught and supported children with emotional and behavioral challenges—experience that built the patience and solution-focused steadiness I bring to every session.

I work with adults facing anxiety, stress, low self-worth, and life transitions, and I also work with children, teens, and young adults navigating anxiety, self-worth struggles, and feeling overwhelmed. At its core the work is the same: learning to retrain the thought patterns that no longer serve you, and building healthier ones that support the life you want.

My approach is warm, collaborative, and practical. I use Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), which focuses on how our thoughts shape our feelings and actions. Together, we'll look at the beliefs and patterns that may be keeping you stuck and work on reshaping them into healthier, more flexible ways of thinking.

I balance insight with action—helping you understand yourself more deeply while giving you tools you can use in everyday life, not just talk through in the room. You'll leave sessions with something to work with, and over time the goal is for those new patterns to start feeling like your own.

The first session is about getting to know you and building rapport—learning about your background and what may have shaped how you think. I'll also explain how REBT works because it's different from a lot of therapy: it's less focused on the feelings themselves and more on what drives them—the thoughts and beliefs underneath.

REBT is solution-focused. We don't just sit with how you feel; we look at the thinking that produces those feelings and work on retraining it. By the end of the first session, we'll have a clear picture of your background and why you're here, figured out the approach that fits you best, and started setting goals to work toward.