- Guilt and shame
- CBT and narrative
- Grief and loss
About Kathleen
Dr. Kathleen Jager is a Michigan-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with 25 years of clinical experience. She works with adults who are carrying stress, anxiety, relationship strain, trauma, grief, or the heavy weight of guilt and shame. Her practice focuses on helping people handle life changes and rebuild a clearer sense of themselves.
She uses straightforward conversation and established therapeutic methods to address what feels stuck. Sessions center on what the person wants to change and on practical steps they can try between meetings. Kathleen adapts her approach to each person's situation while keeping things direct and understandable.
Her background includes long-term work with people recovering from trauma, coping with loss, and managing compassion fatigue. She also has experience supporting those dealing with attachment questions, adoption and foster care concerns, and challenges that come from being a caregiver or a first responder.
Her clinical toolbox includes client-centered work, cognitive behavioral techniques, narrative approaches, solution-focused strategies, and trauma-focused methods. These are used to help untangle painful memories, shift unhelpful thinking, and build small, manageable changes.
People who come to her often want clear conversation about next steps. Kathleen aims to help them talk through difficult feelings, practice different responses, and find ways to live that fit their values and roles.
How her approaches translate to online work
Dr. Jager commonly uses client-centered methods and cognitive behavioral therapy in her sessions. Client-centered work focuses on listening and reflecting so the person can better understand their own feelings and priorities. It helps when someone needs space to talk through guilt, shame, or uncertainty. Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and offers practical exercises to challenge unhelpful thinking and try new responses.She also draws on narrative therapy to help people separate themselves from the stories they tell about past events. Narrative work can be useful for reframing painful memories and reducing self-blame. Together these approaches offer both reflection and concrete practice, and Kathleen will work with each person to decide which methods feel most useful for their goals.
Session logistics should be confirmed before booking since formats are not specified here. Ask which session options are currently offered and how scheduling works. Online sessions can make it easier to fit appointments into busy days, allow for shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time so people can use a break at work or at home more easily.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
Michigan
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she work with?
She works with stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, and compassion fatigue. Additional focuses include adoption and foster care, attachment issues, caregiver stress, and guilt and shame.
How would she approach shame or guilt in sessions?
She uses client-centered conversation alongside cognitive behavioral and narrative techniques to name and examine those feelings. Sessions look at thoughts, stories people tell about themselves, and small steps to change responses.
What is her professional background?
She has 25 years of professional experience working with people facing trauma, grief, and relationship difficulties. That experience informs how she adapts methods to individual needs.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is an LMFT licensed in Michigan. Her practice is located in Michigan and she lists that state as her license jurisdiction.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are fees and payments handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time. Specific rates depend on the selected plan and location.
What do I do to begin working together?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session. That process starts the intake and scheduling steps.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, use the crisis numbers.