Kathy Rubendall

Kathy Rubendall is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, practicing in North Carolina with 30 years of experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, addiction, grief, bipolar disorder, depression, relationship and family concerns, and questions about career and life changes. Kathy also addresses issues like sleep and eating problems, self-esteem, and compassion fatigue.

Her approach is client-centered and practical. She combines cognitive behavioral techniques with dialectical behavior ideas and motivational interviewing to help people notice unhelpful patterns and try different responses. Sessions focus on clear goals and small steps people can use between meetings.

Kathy draws on decades of clinical work to match strategies to each person’s needs. That includes helping people with adoption and attachment questions, aging and caregiver stress, chronic illness and pain, and substance use concerns. She also works with issues tied to family of origin and communication problems.

In sessions she uses problem-solving and solution-focused methods to address specific goals, like easing anxiety, managing mood swings, or navigating a career change. The work often blends skills practice, reflection on patterns, and planning for next steps. People leave with concrete ways to cope and try things differently between sessions.

Her style is interactive and respectful. Kathy emphasizes collaboration and practical tools rather than abstract theory. She asks about each person’s priorities and builds a plan that fits their situation.

Approach and practical online options

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and responding to what matters most to the person. It helps people name their priorities and guide the pace of work. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and teaches concrete skills for changing them. That approach is often used for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and coping with life changes. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, adds skills for managing intense emotions, improving distress tolerance, and handling difficult relationships.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Kathy will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That means trying out strategies, checking what helps, and adjusting the plan together as needs change.

Confirm the therapist's current session formats before booking, since formats are not specified here. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when schedules require, and remove travel time. It can also make sessions more practical when someone prefers not to be on camera or needs lower bandwidth options. Discuss format choices during the initial matching and scheduling step so sessions can fit into everyday life.