IFSTherapists

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LMFT

Kara Denahan, LMFT

  • Experience23 years
  • LocationRhode Island
  • Focus areasStress and Anxiety, Relationship, and Trauma and abuse
  • Therapy approachesInternal Family Systems and Attachment-Based Therapy
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About Kara

Kara Denahan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing in Rhode Island with 23 years of clinical experience.

Background and approach

She began her professional journey in design and photography before returning to graduate study in marriage and family therapy, ultimately moving into independent practice where she has worked with individuals and couples.

Over decades of practice she has integrated trauma-informed and mindfulness-based influences into her work, drawing on a range of models to support clients navigating relationship strains, anxiety, grief, addiction, mood disorders, and other life stresses. Kara brings a reflective, client-centered sensibility informed by Internal Family Systems and attachment-focused ideas.

Her approach emphasizes understanding the many parts of a person’s inner life, cultivating self-compassion, and using practical strategies that draw from cognitive behavioral and mindfulness practices. She describes therapy as a collaborative process aimed at helping people manage emotional pain, repair relationship patterns, and discover more grounded ways of living.

Her practice supports a wide variety of concerns including identity and intimacy issues, codependency and communication struggles, caregiving stress, and questions of life purpose and meaning.

How therapy models inform online care



Internal Family Systems (IFS) views a person as made up of distinct parts and a core Self; online sessions can use gentle inquiry and guided reflection to help clients notice and relate differently to those parts, supporting work on self-compassion and internal conflict. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relational patterns shape current connections and emotional responses, which can be explored in virtual sessions to improve communication, boundaries, and closeness in relationships. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes empathetic listening and creating a trusting, nonjudgmental space; that stance helps clients feel heard and supported while they pursue change through their own insights.

Choosing the right approach is often a collaborative process. The therapist will work with each person to identify which methods match their goals, concerns, and preferences, adapting techniques as the work unfolds rather than sticking rigidly to a single model. This collaborative tailoring aims to make therapy personally meaningful and practically useful.

Online therapy offers flexibility for people balancing work, family, or geographic constraints by providing video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These formats support continuity of care, make it easier to fit appointments into busy lives, and allow therapists and clients to use a variety of ways to reflect, practice skills, and stay connected between sessions.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with a broad range of concerns including stress, anxiety, relationship and intimacy-related issues, trauma and abuse, depression, bipolar disorder, addiction, grief, and self-esteem challenges.
What is her therapeutic style and approach?
The style is collaborative and reflective, combining client-centered listening with techniques from Internal Family Systems, attachment-based work, CBT, and mindfulness to help clients explore internal parts and relational patterns.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 23 years of experience as a practicing therapist, including many years in independent practice supporting individuals and couples.
What are her credentials and where is she licensed?
She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with the designation RI LMFT MFT00080 and practices in Rhode Island.
Does she offer services in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are provided in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
In what session formats does she meet with clients?
She offers multiple online formats including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are required to begin working together?
To get started select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesTrauma and abuseSelf esteemCoping with life changes

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderDepressionCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAttachment issuesBlended family issuesCaregiver issues and stressCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesDissociationFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsForgivenessGuilt and shameIsolation / lonelinessLife purposeMidlife crisisMood disordersPanic disorder and panic attacksPost-traumatic stressSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issues

Therapeutic approaches

Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Mindfulness TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

23+ years

Licensed

Rhode Island

Languages

English