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| Office: |
Family Solutions Counseling, LLC
3534 Old Milton Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30005
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| Phone: |
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| E-mail: |
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| Web Site: |
www.MFTGA.com
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| Profession: |
Marriage and Family Therapist
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| Services: |
Psychotherapy/Counseling
Coaching
Mediation
Marriage and pre-marital Counseling
Family Counseling
Divorce Coach
Divorce Mediator
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| Practice Description: |
My specialty is guiding and counseling couples and families through their life journey. Whether you are a new couple looking for tools to build a solid foundation or a couple in crisis looking for a life raft, I am here for you. If you and your children are transitioning through divorce or are a newly blended family, I help family members heal while finding balance and harmony within the new family structure. I do this through counseling and divorce coaching.
Couples counseling is one area of my specialty. I work with couples to help them understand how one another's perspectives, beliefs and life history play roles in the current relationship and assist them in finding a balance that creates harmony. I have many years of experience working with new couples, blended families and couples who have been together for over 20 years who are seeking assistance.
With children, play therapy is used to help them resolve issues on their level. Families play an important role in children's healing processes. The interaction between children's problems and their families is always complex. Sometimes children develop problems as a way of signaling that there is something wrong in the family. Other times the entire family becomes distressed because the child's problems are so disruptive. In all cases, children and families heal faster when they work together.
Divorce Coaching: A brief, solution-oriented, supportive process. Kathleen uses therapeutic skills and knowledge to support, educate and prepare clients for the successful negotiation of a divorce settlement agreement. Coaching helps to reduce the emotional intensity of the divorce and helps the client separate legal and practical issues from emotional issues. Coaching assists with the transition to a co-parenting relationship and divorce partnership. When children are in the family, Kathleen assists the parents in developing a parenting plan.
Divorce Mediation: A way to settle your divorce without fighting in court. Mediation saves time, money and stress by allowing spouses to resolve custody, child support, property and debt disputes on their own terms. Your divorce can be completed quickly and confidentially. Divorce is a sensitive personal matter. Mediation allows couples to find solutions that work better for their family than what a judge might order. Mediation agreements address concerns unique to each family, while both husband and wife are more likely to get what they want.
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Practice Specialties or Interests:
(Strengths are
in bold text) |
Divorce/Dissolution
Relationship Issues
Divorce coaching
Infidelity
Life Transitions
Parenting Issues
Stress Management
Women's Issues
Premarital counseling
Play Therapy
Divorce Mediation
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| Age Specialties: |
Children
Adults
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| Session Formats: |
Individual
Couples
Family
Coaching, Mediation meetings
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| Treatment Approaches: |
Behavioral
Cognitive/Cognitive-Behavioral
Developmental
Experiential
Family Systems
Play Therapy
Sandplay
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
Divorce Coaching
Mediation
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| Education: |
M.S., Marriage and Family Therapy/Family Studies
University of Kentucky, 1998
B.A., Psychology
University of Georgia, 1996
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| License #: |
MFT000928 |
| License State: |
Georgia |
| Additional Licenses/ Certifications: |
Certified ScreamFree Leader
Divorce Coach and Child Specialist in Collaborative Divorce
Divorce Mediation
General/Civil Mediation |
| Professional Affiliations: |
 | American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy | | Georgia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy | | International Association of Collaborative Professionals | | Collaborative Law Institue of Georgia | | ScreamFree Living | | Association of Family and Conciliation Courts |
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| Fee Schedule: |
Varies depending on services requested: counseling, coaching, mediation. |
| Office Hours: |
M-TH 10am-5pm |
| Driving Directions: |
My office is located in the Old Milton Commons office park within the North Point Psychology building (3534). The office is located in North Fulton and is convenient to Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Roswell, Cumming, Duluth, South Forsyth and Cherokee County. I am just minutes from GA 400, Northside Hospital Alpharetta Campus, and North Point Mall.
From GA 400, go East on Old Milton Parkway and cross over North Point Pkwy. At the intersection of Brookside Pkwy (4th light, at QT), make a u-turn. Old Milton Commons will be on your right. The office is located straight ahead through the parking lot in building 3534 (North Point Psychology).
From Johns Creek, go West on Old Milton Parkway. Old Milton Commons will be on your right after the intersection of Brookside Pkwy (QT) and before the intersection of North Point Pkwy. The office is located straight ahead through the parking lot in building 3534 (North Point Psychology).
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| Additional Comments: |
How long will I be in therapy?
Sessions are typically once a week until both myself and the clients deem it appropriate to space sessions further apart. Sessions are 50 minutes unless I have scheduled you a double session time. If I am seeing children, I ask that only the parents attend the first session for background-gathering information. When seeing couples, I see both of you for the first session and then each partner has an individual session. All the following sessions are together. Therapy may be brief, long-term or somewhere in between. The length of time you will be in therapy depends on the severity and nature of the problem you are experiencing and how long it has been an issue. You will get out of therapy what you put into it. Reaching your goals is a collaborative effort that takes place over time and your participation is crucial. I will be assigning you “homework” on a weekly basis. Your effort inside my office as well as outside my office will have a direct impact on your rate of progress.
Who are Marriage and Family Therapists?
Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) are mental health professionals trained in psychotherapy and family systems, and licensed to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders within the context of marriage, couples and family systems. MFTs are a highly experienced group of practitioners, with an average of 13 years of clinical practice in the field of marriage and family therapy. They evaluate and treat mental and emotional disorders, other health and behavioral problems, and address a wide array of relationship issues within the context of the family system.
MFTs broaden the traditional emphasis on the individual to attend to the nature and role of individuals in primary relationship networks such as marriage and the family. MFTs are concerned with the overall, long-term well-being of individuals and their families. Studies show that clients are highly satisfied with services of MFTs. Clients report marked improvement in work productivity, co-worker relationships, family relationships, partner relationships, emotional health, overall health, social life, and community involvement. In a recent study, consumers report that marriage and family therapists are the mental health professionals they would most likely recommend to friends. Over 98% of clients of marriage and family therapists report therapy services as good or excellent. Please go to www.aamft.org for further information about Marriage and Family Therapy.
What is Collaborative Divorce?
Collaborative Divorce is a way for you to resolve disputes respectfully without going to court while working with trained professionals who are important to all areas of your life. The heart of Collaborative Divorce is to offer you and your spouse or partner the support, protection, and guidance of your own lawyers without going to court. Additionally, Collaborative Divorce allows you the benefit of Child Specialists and Financial Specialists, Divorce Coaches and Attorneys all working together on your team. Divorce is a sensitive personal matter. No single approach is right for everyone. Many couples do find Collaborative Divorce a welcome alternative to the often destructive, uncomfortable aspects of conventional divorce.
What is the Role of the Child Specialist?
As a Child Specialist, Kathleen Shack provides insight into how the child(ren) is coping with the divorce and offers options for the time-share and other logistics in their best interest. Mrs. Shack can act as a spokesperson for younger children or help older children articulate their feelings/wishes directly to their parents, coaches, and/or attorneys. Helping the parents focus on the child(ren)’s needs is essential. The Child Specialist can work to shift from "my time" with the child to the "child’s time", so the parents understand that the child’s needs are most essential. The Child Specialist can also help the parents shift away from financial issues with regard to the children, and focus on their developmental needs instead.
What is the Role of the Parent Coach?
Coaching is a brief, solution-oriented, and supportive process. As a Coach, Kathleen Shack uses therapeutic skills and knowledge to support, educate and prepare clients for the successful negotiation of a divorce settlement agreement. Coaching improves and facilitates communication between divorcing spouses. Coaching helps to reduce the emotional intensity of the divorce and helps the client separate legal and practical issues from emotional issues. Coaching assists with the transition from the spousal relationship to a co-parenting relationship and divorce partnership. Coaches assist the parents in developing a parenting plan, if children are in the divorcing family. The role of the coach is not the same as the role of a psychotherapist. Coaches make referrals to other professionals, as necessary.
What is Divorce Mediation?
Divorce Mediation is a way to settle your divorce without fighting in court. Mediation saves time, money and stress by allowing spouses to resolve custody, child support, property and debt disputes on their own terms. Your divorce can be completed quickly and confidentially. Divorce is a sensitive personal matter. Mediation allows couples to find solutions that work better for their family than what a judge might order. Mediation agreements address concerns unique to each family, while both husband and wife are more likely to get what they want. |
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| Additional Information |
| Years in Practice: 11-15 | | Gender: Female | | Accepting New Clients: Yes | | Prescribe Medication: No | | Wheelchair Accessible: Yes |
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