Kristen Shepherd

I graduated from University of Michigan School of Social Work in 2010. For the first 10 years of my career, I cared for students with complex behavioral health needs & built strong, trusting relationships with their families. While working in this school setting, I started in the field of tele-health part-time in 2018. As much as I loved being a school social worker, my online presence grew to the point that I made the decision to step into the world of tele-health full-time. This was the best decision for my career. I work hard to provide compassionate, professional care to patients from my cozy little home office. My dogs keep me company & they may make the occasional appearance.

If I had to name a “favorite" area of practice, I love working with couples. I have been married for over 20 years to a wonderful man and I am able to apply both evidence based practice & real-life empathy to help couples’ at different phases of their relationships. I am honored to be trusted with personal information to help two people who are struggling in their relationship. I teach them how to communicate better, argue better and share household management better; all while making time & space for intimacy and friendship.

I use a balanced approach, but also offer direct feedback delivered with kind intention in order to help people grow. After years in this field, I have seen a thread of commonalities that are universal to the dynamic of relationships regardless of a couples’ circumstances. This allows me to guide with confidence due to years of dedication to creating a strong history of positive patient outcomes.

I tailor my therapeutic approach to meet people where they are in life & help them identify areas where they need help evolving. I am certified in trauma-focused care and I am passionate about helping clients identify traumatic psychological wounds that may be holding them back from becoming the best version of themselves. Building a trusting therapeutic relationship is critical to a successful outcome. I look forward to joining you on your own journey.

The first session often goes by quickly because I put a high priority on establishing a solid therapy rapport and gathering relevant history in order to have the full picture before diving into present and future goals. However, subsequent sessions can feel much more like picking up an important conversation.