Kate Sheehan (She/her/hers)

Dating, friendships, work dynamics, parenting: relationship is how we describe how we are (or aren’t) seen by others, supported by others, understood by others as well as the strengths we offer others in our lives. My work combines doing and feeling - behavioral and psychodynamic approaches - to improve the quality of relationships whether they be romantic, platonic, professional, creative… including our relationship to ourselves.

I studied attachment theory in graduate school, working on research studies to explore how our early attachment styles are formed and how changeable they can be over time and with different people. Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is one approach I use that combines attachment theory with practical strategies for healing and growth.

For the past 10 years, I have managed an anxiety prevention program at UCLA. Many of my clients struggle with life-interfering anxiety including social anxiety, generalized anxiety, as well as phobias, OCD, or panic. I use a combination of behavioral therapies (like CBT) with compassion focused approaches to better recognize how anxiety shows up, what it does, and what it prevents us from doing. Clients are able to manage their anxiety rather than having their anxiety managing their lives.

I have training and experience in a variety of proven strategies. The list below represents the types of therapies I draw on most often. Therapy sessions are a dynamic, responsive collaborative process. Pulling from a broad range of therapies allows me to offer different ways of approaching and managing difficulties clients are experiencing. If you have questions about any particular approach, please reach out.

Behavioral approaches are rooted in the concept that our thoughts, feelings, and actions are constantly informing and shaping each other. Often, this happens without our noticing. Behavioral approaches like CBT most broadly, and DBT and ACT more specifically, offer frameworks from which to understand ourselves and our reactions. Behavioral approaches tend to be practical, with a goal of noticing our habits of mind/feeling/reaction and learning new ways to manage or shift these habits.

The Internal Family Systems approach is often interwoven into sessions that may include other approaches below. Internal Family Systems can help us recognize our strengths and our needs. It can give us new language to explain to ourselves why we do what we do or feel how we feel. IFS can be helpful in letting go of (or resolving) aspects of ourselves that are not currently useful, or can help us articulate needs we have not been successful in getting others to meet so far.