Kristen Shepherd, LMSW
Practical, compassionate therapy for parenting and relationships
Book with Kristen- Years in practice
- 15
- Credentials
- LMSW
- Licensed in
- Michigan
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Trauma and abuse
About Kristen
Kristen Shepherd is a licensed master social worker with 15 years of clinical experience. She trained at the University of Michigan School of Social Work and moved from school-based work into one-on-one and partner-focused care. Kristen focuses on clear, practical steps parents and individuals can use to feel steadier in day-to-day life.
She keeps sessions straightforward and adaptive. Kristen tailors her approach to each person’s needs and life stage. She pays attention to communication patterns, emotional safety, and problem areas that come up again and again.
Background and approach
Her background includes a decade in high-needs school settings followed by community and clinical practice. That mix gave her experience with stress, anxiety, behavioral concerns, and the everyday pressures families face. She also works with trauma, grief, mood disorders, and substance-related issues.
Kristen uses several ways of working that fit different goals. She leans on attachment-focused ideas to look at how relationships shape behavior. She applies cognitive-behavioral strategies to help change unhelpful thinking and habits.
Emotion-focused and client-centered methods guide conversations about feelings and relationship patterns. In sessions she helps people spot patterns, practice new ways of talking, and set small, realistic goals. Parents can expect practical strategies for parenting challenges alongside attention to their own stress and wellbeing.
Kristen aims to build a working relationship that makes change feel possible.
What Kristen works with
Everything Kristen lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Kristen helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Intimacy-related issues
- Coping with life changes
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Commitment issues
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Kristen lists
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How attachment, CBT, and emotion work online
Attachment-based work looks at how early relationship patterns affect current connections. It helps people notice how they seek closeness or pull away and supports changing those patterns to improve relationships and parenting interactions.Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It teaches skills to challenge unhelpful thinking and to build new habits that reduce anxiety, mood symptoms, and problematic behaviors.
Emotionally-focused approaches help name and shift intense feelings that get in the way of closeness. This is useful when partners or parents want to improve communication and emotional attunement.
Finding the right approach is a joint process. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences, try methods that fit the situation, and adjust over time so the work stays useful and realistic.
Online sessions offer flexible ways to meet. Video calls let you see facial cues and practice conversations in real time. Phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in fits your schedule. Live chat and text-based messaging let you send reflections or get support between scheduled sessions. These options help people balance therapy with parenting, work, and daily life.
Questions people ask about Kristen
What kinds of concerns does Kristen address?
She helps with stress, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, trauma, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting challenges, grief, eating and sleeping difficulties, and related concerns listed in her specialties.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
She uses a practical, collaborative style that adapts to each person. Sessions focus on understanding patterns, improving communication, and setting small actionable goals.
What is her professional background?
Kristen graduated from the University of Michigan School of Social Work in 2010 and has 15 years of experience, including ten years in high-needs school settings before moving to clinical practice.
Where is she licensed and based?
She holds the LMSW credential and practices in Michigan.
Can I work with her if I live outside the United States?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are accepted.
What session formats are available?
She meets via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different needs and schedules.
How are payments and costs handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist arrangements; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are needed to begin working together?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.
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