Kathy Branning

Kathy Branning is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Illinois and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Wisconsin with 30 years of professional work experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, and depression. Kathy emphasizes practical steps and steady conversation to help people who feel stuck or uncertain about what comes next.

She treats problems with motivation and confidence by listening first and then suggesting manageable strategies. Sessions focus on what is happening now and what small changes might improve daily functioning. Kathy encourages clients to notice strengths they already have and to practice skills between meetings.

Her background includes long-term clinical work across settings that gave her experience with trauma, mood disorders, and addiction-related concerns. That experience shapes how she structures meetings - short-term goals, realistic tasks, and regular check-ins on progress.

Kathy pays attention to life circumstances like chronic pain, caregiver stress, financial strain, and relationship transitions such as divorce or separation. She also supports people dealing with abandonment issues, body image, guilt, and shame by helping them name specific patterns and try different ways of responding.

People who bring questions about life purpose, isolation, panic attacks, or impulse control will find a practical focus in sessions. She asks questions, reflects what she hears, and offers concrete ideas to test between appointments. The first meeting is used to clarify concerns and identify a next step together.

How evidence-based techniques translate to online sessions

Evidence-based therapeutic techniques often used include practical cognitive approaches and skills-based work. Cognitive approaches look at unhelpful thinking patterns and teach ways to test and change those thoughts; this can help with anxiety, low mood, and worry about next steps. Skills-based work focuses on concrete strategies such as stress management, behavioral activation for depression, and coping skills for urges related to addiction.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Kathy will help you decide which methods suit your needs by talking about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked before. The decision is collaborative and may shift as progress is reviewed.

The original biography does not list which session formats are offered. Please confirm the available online session options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and reduce travel time so appointments can occur around work or caregiving demands. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises and homework to a remote setting so practical skills are still practiced between meetings.