Cathy Smith , LPC

Cathy Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor who centers her work on building a strong therapeutic relationship. She brings 18 years of experience across clinical and educational settings. Cathy listens carefully and helps people name their concerns and take practical steps toward better daily functioning.

She draws on client-centered principles to create a respectful, nonjudgmental space where each person directs the pace of work. Cathy also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and try different behaviors. Mindfulness practices are included to reduce stress and increase present-moment coping.

Her background includes work in residential treatment and many years as a teacher in institutional, public, private, and alternative education settings. That mix of roles shaped a practical, strengths-focused approach. Cathy often helps people manage anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, addictions, and stress-related problems.

She also supports people with intimacy concerns, body image and eating issues, sleep problems, ADHD, and career stress. Additional focus areas include caregiver strain, codependency, communication problems, and recovery from domestic violence and abandonment experiences.

Cathy offers services in English and Spanish and accepts international clients. Sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. When people begin, she works with them to set clear goals and choose tools that fit their life.

Approaches that translate to online care

Client-centered work focuses on understanding each person's experience and priorities. In practice this means Cathy listens closely and follows the client's lead, helping them set goals and choose steps that feel achievable. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people identify thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and then try small experiments to change them; it often helps with anxiety, depression, sleep, and mood regulation.

Finding the right blend of approaches is part of the work. Cathy collaborates with each person to determine whether client-centered discussion, CBT exercises, or mindfulness practices will be most useful. She checks in about preferences and adjusts techniques over time so sessions match goals and lifestyle.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video calls let people use visual cues and full conversation, phone sessions need less bandwidth and can fit a work break, live chat allows quick check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options help people fit therapy into busy lives and keep consistent momentum toward their goals.