Kathy Rubendall
Calm, practical guidance for life's hard moments
- Credentials
- LCSW
- Experience
- 30 years
- Licensed in
- North Carolina
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Kathy
Kathy Rubendall is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who aims to make getting help feel simple and humane. She speaks plainly and listens closely to understand what is worrying a person now. Kathy draws on three decades of experience to help people facing mood struggles, grief, addiction, and major life changes.
She practices in North Carolina and conducts sessions in English. Her style is warm and interactive. Conversations are grounded in respect and acceptance.
Background and approach
She works to create a space where people can say what they are feeling without judgment and start small, practical steps forward. Kathy uses client-centered methods alongside cognitive behavioral tools and problem-solving techniques. In session she helps people spot unhelpful thinking patterns, try new coping skills, and build routines that support mood and daily functioning.
She also has experience with bipolar disorder, trauma, and attachment issues related to international adoption. Kathy supports those needing pre- and post-bariatric surgery counseling, career transitions, and sport performance anxiety. She tailors approaches to the person's goals rather than using a one-size-fits-all plan.
Kathy describes her work as a collaborative walk toward positive change. She focuses on practical strategies and steady progress. Parents reading this will find clear, down-to-earth guidance and steady support for the issues listed above.
How Kathy’s approaches translate to online therapy
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and building trust. In practice this means the therapist follows the person’s lead, reflects what they hear, and helps the person clarify goals and next steps. It is helpful for people who want a supportive, nonjudgmental space to sort feelings and decisions.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, works by identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with concrete experiments. In sessions Kathy helps people try new coping strategies, change patterns that feed anxiety or depression, and build routines that support better mood and sleep.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Kathy will talk with each person about their needs and try methods that fit their goals and preferences. She adjusts tools over time when something is not working and keeps the focus on steps that feel doable.
Online therapy makes it easier to fit sessions into a busy life. Video calls let people maintain face-to-face contact, while phone, live chat, and text options work for those who prefer less formality or need flexibility. These formats make it possible to practice skills between sessions and check in in ways that match a person’s schedule.
Client-Centered Therapy
The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Kathy address?
What is her therapeutic style like?
How much clinical experience does she have?
Where is Kathy licensed to practice?
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Can international clients work with her?
What formats are available for sessions?
How does cost and scheduling work?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Paranoia
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 30 years
- Licensed
- North Carolina
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Kathy
- Takes a few minutes
- Nothing to set up just to look
- Stop at any point