Thank you for considering choosing me as your social worker. I appreciate your courage in seeking counseling. It takes courage to invite someone to understand your life. You alone are the expert in your own life. My pledge is to provide a safe space where you can explore your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings; where you can formulate your goals; where you can figure out how to pursue your goals; and where you can set your own pace. I know that counseling can lead to healing, growth, and transformation. I hope that you will invite me to share your journey with you.

My favorite form of therapy is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). I am an EMDR Certified Therapist (EMDRIA) with advanced training in treating complex trauma. This means that I find it a special privilege to work with clients who have experienced many distressing events. EMDR is a solidly-researched psychotherapy approach that helps people recover from trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, panic disorders, addiction, and many other difficulties in living. EMDR is a gentle, but powerful, way to assist the brain’s natural healing process.

In addition to EMDR, I like to share with my clients various other approaches, according to their needs and preferences: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI); motivational interviewing (MI); Rogerian (person-centered) therapy; and logotherapy. If you request it, I also offer faith-integrated counseling, Christian counseling, or Catholic counseling, in which my goal is to help you draw strength from your own beliefs and spirituality.

I welcome the privilege of serving clients from diverse backgrounds, cultures, outlooks, and worldviews. I ask each client to teach me about their beliefs and life experiences.

Being a caregiver is what led me to become a social worker. I am trained in working with older adults, caregivers, dementia, and grief.

I became a social worker in midlife. After earning degrees in physics (B.A. Princeton, M.A. Harvard), I worked for 27 years as an investment analyst. During 16 of those years, I served as a caregiver to elderly family members, and found that caregiving was the work I loved. Accordingly, I earned a Master of Social Work degree from Baylor University; interned in a medical clinic and a hospice agency; obtained an LCSW license (Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Texas #69390); and became an EMDR Certified Therapist (EMDRIA), a Certified Practitioner of the MBTI, and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.

One of my mentors told me, “Nothing you learn is ever wasted.” I have found that to be true. My background in finance helps me understand the financial and legal issues that often cause stress within families, especially for persons who are aging. In addition, my background in physics helps me understand complex systems. And what systems could be more complex than the human mind, human relationships, and family dynamics?

It would be an honor to work with you in this part of your life journey, and to assist in your healing, growth, and transformation.

- Catherine C. Stansbury, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Texas License Number 69390