New to Grow
I’m Kathlene Pendleton, a compassionate, client‑centered Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor with over 11 years of experience supporting adults through life’s challenges. I specialize in working with client's experiencing grief, mood changes, relationship issues, stress, substance misuse, and major life transitions. Across outpatient, telehealth, and community settings, I’ve built a reputation for creating a safe, culturally responsive space where clients feel understood and empowered. I use evidence‑based approaches including CBT, DBT, ACT, SFBT, and strengths‑based interventions to help clients gain insight, regulate emotions, and create meaningful change. I believe every person has the capacity to heal and grow. I’m committed to helping clients reconnect with their strengths, navigate difficult emotions, and move toward a life aligned with their values and goals.
Your first session is a collaborative space to help you feel comfortable, understood, and supported. We’ll talk about what you’re experiencing such as grief, mood changes, stress, relationship concerns, or life transitions and you can share at your own pace. I’ll ask questions about your history and discuss your goals so we can create an individualized plan. I’ll also introduce evidence‑based approaches that are supportive of your healing goals. You’re welcome to ask questions about the process or explore what therapy may look like moving forward. My priority is ensuring you feel safe, informed, and supported from the start.
What makes me unique is the breadth of my clinical experience across outpatient, telehealth, correctional, community, and behavioral‑support settings, combined with a compassionate, client‑centered approach. I’m known for building strong therapeutic alliances that foster safety and growth. My work across diverse levels of care has strengthened my ability to meet clients where they are, provide crisis intervention when needed, and offer long‑term support for deeper healing. Whether I'm helping someone regulate emotions, navigate grief, rebuild relationships, or break patterns of substance use addiction, I focus on equipping clients with practical skills, insight, and confidence. I maintain high engagement by creating a space where clients feel seen, supported, and empowered. Ultimately, what sets me apart is my ability to blend clinical expertise with authentic compassion to guide clients toward resilience, clarity, and meaningful change.
My ideal client is an adult navigating grief, mood changes, or significant life transitions who is seeking a supportive, non‑judgmental space to process their experiences and regain a sense of stability. I work well with individuals who feel overwhelmed by emotional shifts, are adjusting to new roles or unexpected changes, or are carrying the weight of loss (recent or past). My clients are often looking to understand themselves more deeply, strengthen emotional regulation, and reconnect with their values. They may be experiencing sadness, anxiety, irritability, or a sense of disconnection as they move through difficult seasons of life. Many are motivated to grow, even if they feel stuck or unsure where to begin.
Other specialties
I identify as
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I incorporate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients develop a healthier relationship with their internal experiences and strengthen their ability to live in alignment with their values. My use of ACT began while working with individuals struggling with substance use disorders, where acceptance‑based strategies were essential for improving emotional regulation, reducing avoidance, and supporting long‑term behavior change. I help clients learn to accept and observe their internal experiences including anxiety, cravings, intrusive thoughts, and self‑judgment without becoming overwhelmed or reactive. This reduces the struggle with emotional discomfort and helps clients move away from avoidance‑based coping.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
In my private practice, I frequently utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients understand the connection between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. CBT provides a structured, evidence‑based framework that supports clients in recognizing unhelpful cognitive patterns and developing healthier, more adaptive responses. I help clients identify how their internal dialogue influences emotional experiences and behavioral choices. Through guided exploration, clients learn to recognize patterns such as catastrophizing, all‑or‑nothing thinking, personalization, and self‑criticism. This awareness becomes the foundation for meaningful change.
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
In my private practice, I integrate Solution‑Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) as a core therapeutic approach to help clients identify strengths, build on existing resources, and create meaningful change in a time‑efficient manner. SFBT aligns well with clients who are seeking practical tools, clarity, and forward‑movement rather than extensive focus on past problems. I work collaboratively with clients to define clear, achievable, and personally meaningful goals. SFBT emphasizes envisioning the preferred future, helping clients describe what life will look like when their concerns are less impactful or resolved. This process increases hope, motivation, and life direction.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
In my private practice, I incorporate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help clients strengthen emotional regulation, improve distress tolerance, and develop healthier interpersonal patterns. DBT provides a structured, skills‑based framework that supports clients in managing intense emotions, reducing impulsive behaviors, and increasing their ability to respond effectively in challenging situations. Mindfulness is a core component of DBT, and I integrate it throughout treatment to help clients increase awareness of their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. Clients learn to observe their internal experience without judgment, which supports improved emotional regulation and reduces reactive patterns.
Strength-Based
In my private practice, I utilize Strengths‑Based Therapy to help clients recognize, access, and build upon the internal resources they already possess. This approach emphasizes resilience, personal agency, and the belief that clients have the capacity to create meaningful change when their strengths are identified and intentionally applied. I work collaboratively with clients to identify their existing strengths, including coping skills, personal values, past successes, relational supports, and qualities such as perseverance, compassion, or creativity. Highlighting these strengths helps clients shift from a deficit‑focused mindset to one that recognizes their inherent capability.