Katharine Alfs, LMHC, LPC

Katharine Alfs offers calm, practical help for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief, or life changes. She focuses on clear skills people can use between sessions to manage mood and cope with hard days. Many come for help with self-esteem, depression, or overwhelming worry. She has worked in the field for 44 years and holds LMHC and LPC credentials. Katharine blends straightforward, client-centered listening with structured techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy. Sessions aim to be collaborative and focused on small, workable steps. Her approach is adaptable to different life situations. She can help with caregiver stress, chronic illness or pain, workplace strain, and relationship communication problems. She also supports people dealing with divorce, domestic violence, panic attacks, and social anxiety. Katharine pays attention to each person's background and culture. That means she listens closely before suggesting tools or practices. She uses mindfulness and emotion-focused methods to help people notice patterns and shift unhelpful reactions. In sessions she mixes skills training with reflective conversation. Clients learn breathing and grounding techniques, ways to reframe thoughts, and actions that reduce avoidance. The overall goal is to build resilience so daily life feels more manageable.

How Katharine’s Approaches Work Online

CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and changing the behaviors that keep problems going. It often includes simple homework and skill practice to reduce anxiety, panic, and low mood. Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and understanding. It helps people feel heard and then choose their own next steps while the therapist offers empathy and support. Deciding which approach to use is part of the first sessions. The therapist will talk with the client about goals and preferences and then suggest a mix of methods. That plan can change as progress is made, and the client helps guide which tools feel most useful. Online formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life. Video calls let therapists observe facial cues and have a full conversation. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or for a private check-in without video. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for brief updates, homework check-ins, or when someone prefers writing to speaking. These options give flexibility so people can keep therapy consistent around work, caregiving, or medical needs.