Catherine’s Bio

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My Background

Raised in the scenic area of Geneseo, NY, I spent many of my formative years at The Harley School, followed by studying International Business and Marketing at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). My family instilled in me a strong work ethic and a love for the outdoors. I was blessed to spend my youth and much of my adult life immersed in riding and racing horses, skiing, family, and farm life.

I am grateful for my late husband, Carl, a dedicated fifth-generation dairy farmer, was one of my greatest influences, teaching me the values of resilience, commitment, and consistency. In addition to farming, I continue a professional skiing career which has earned me a Level III Certification with The Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA), and for over 27 years, I have trained and coached in both Alpine and Telemark disciplines.

After the passing of my husband, I felt a profound desire to return to higher ed and study the intricacies of human behavior. This led me to the Master’s and PhD programs at The University of Rochester in with degrees in Psychology/Neuroscience and Mental Health Counseling and Counseling Education. At this point in my life, my greatest passion is to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others through my work as a mental health counselor and now with my practice-informed mental health workbooks that are written specifically for you—the seeker of happiness and a better life.

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My Commitment to You

My commitment to you as your counselor is to create a space for you to safely and privately express your problems and personal pain. 

My commitment to you is to enhance your counseling experience, therefore, we co-create your treatment process (rather than dictated by the insurance companies) with the intention to reach your goals and desired outcomes.

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(585) 432-0313 ~ clevelandemotionalhealth@gmail.com

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Fees

It is up to you to choose how often to have your sessions. Ask yourself this question: what works best for my specific situation? Weekly? Bi-weekly? Every three weeks? Monthly?

Individual

• The Fee per 50-minute individual session is $120.00 if paid in cash
• Paid by credit card/HSA/FSA cards = $130.00

Couples Counseling

• The fee for 50-minute couples counseling is $130.00 if paid in cash
• Paid by credit card/HSA/FSA cards = $140.00

Why I Do Not Accept Insurance

There are several reasons I do not accept insurance. Typically, insurance treatments models promote standardized, symptom-only care, where treatment is shaped by what can be documented and reimbursed rather than the full complexity of your experience. They often restrict the number and structure of sessions, limiting the ability to do deeper, more meaningful work. By not accepting insurance, I am able to maintain a higher level of confidentiality, avoid unnecessary labeling and improper diagnosis. Therefore, I can provide more in-depth, individualized interventions (see below) that support lasting change rather than only providing short-term symptom management.

In addition, insurance requires a formal mental health diagnosis and detailed treatment information to be submitted and stored in systems outside of my control, making it part of your permanent medical record. This comes with limits to confidentiality, meaning your information may be accessed, reviewed, or shared across providers, and multiple databases.

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Theories & Interventions

Theories and interventions serve as treatment modalities which provide the necessary framework and scaffolding to support the healing process in addition to developing well-being and finding meaning and purpose in your life (no matter what stage of life you are in).

Psychodynamic Theory works with conflicting unconscious forces within the psyche, with a particular focus on defenses, anxiety, avoided feelings, and transference.

Experiential emphasizes the importance of experiencing rather than avoiding healthy emotions during psychotherapy sessions, because simply talking about emotions is not sufficient to bring therapeutic change.

Compassionate Inquiry® (Gabor Maté) is a psychotherapeutic approach that reveals what lies beneath the appearance we present to the world. Through Compassionate Inquiry, the patient can recognize the unconscious dynamics that run their lives and how to liberate themselves from them. “The purpose of Compassionate Inquiry is to drill down to the core stories people tell themselves – to get them to see what story they are telling themselves unconsciously; what those beliefs are, where they came from; and guide them to the possibility of letting go of those stories, or letting go of the hold those stories have on them …”

Parts Work (Jung, Schwartz’s IFS) is an approach that views the mind as composed of distinct “parts,” each with its own feelings, beliefs, and behaviors. These parts often develop as a response to life experiences, particularly trauma, and may include roles like protectors, inner critics, or wounded children. The goal of parts work is to promote awareness and observation from the “Higher Self” with compassion and conscious understanding to healing from chronic problems. Isolating and observing allows individuals to engage with their parts, resolve inner conflicts, and resolve past experiences.

Existentialism (Frankl, May, Yalom) – The goal of existential therapy is to help people find meaning and purpose in their lives. When successful, it will help you find your true nature through intrinsic creativity and accomplishment. You learn to be your authentic self with compassion and boundaries instead of living a life filled with guilt and fear.

Short-Term Dynamic (Davanloo) – as an integrative experiential dynamic approach. This intervention facilitates the rapid resolution of a broad spectrum of emotional distress. Short-term dynamic interventions are specifically designed to heal issues such as anxiety, depression, and somatization disorders (such as chronic pain), PTSD, and more severe psychosis. This collaborative intervention alleviates a variety of self-harming behaviors, many of which derive from traumatic experiences including unstable or troubled early life attachments (emotional neglect, verbal abuse, physical & sexual abuse, and assault).

Strengths-Based (Clifton) – Focuses on your attributes rather than your weaknesses. Helping you identify your strengths that you may not have previously considered. For example, a strength that you have is taking steps to address issues to improve your mental health.

Mindfulness-Based (Kabat-Zinn; Tolle) – Mindfulness is an ancient method of non-judgmentally paying attention to yourself and your environment in the present moment. With practice, you will be able to notice the amount of energy you spend on ruminating or anxious thoughts (possibly disrupting your quality of sleep). Mindfulness-based interventions develop present moment and intrapsychic awareness thus diminishing uncontrolled intrusive and self-judging thoughts. 

Humanistic Psychology (Maslow, Rogers) – emphasizes looking at the whole individual and stresses concepts such as free will, self-efficacy, and self-actualization. Rather than concentrating on dysfunction, humanistic psychology pays special attention to such phenomena as creativity, free will, and the human potential. Humanistic psychology acknowledges spiritual aspiration as an integral part of the psyche. Autonomy and self-determination are encouraged.

Polyvagal Mapping (Stephen Porges) – Polyvagal mapping explains how neuroception (unconscious perceiving) affects the nervous system. How do you react to situations that you perceive to be distressing? For example, fight (anger, temper) flight (avoidance), or freeze (depressing, shutting down). Somatic (physical) symptoms such as anxiety and depression are directly related to your central nervous system through vagus nerve stimulation. Environmental and intrapersonal triggers related to PTSD, chronic pain, and social anxiety can be processed and healed through mapping (intrapsychic focus) the vagal nervous system.

Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (Bruce Perry) – Based in brain science, early attachment problems can cause developmental trauma to a fetus, infant, or child – just when the brain is developing. External experiences profoundly influence the development of the brain. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) shape the brain’s organization, which, in turn, influences the person’s emotional, social, cognitive, and physiological development and behaviors. Healing begins with relationships – first through the relationship with yourself and then with others.

Metabolic-Based Therapy (Georgia Ede) – Emphasizes that the brain is an energy-dependent organ, and that modern, ultra-processed diets and insulin resistance can contribute to mood instability, anxiety, depression, cognitive fog, and emotional dysregulation in some individuals. This approach prioritizes whole, minimally processed foods and explores carbohydrate reduction or ketogenic strategies when clinically appropriate, with the aim of stabilizing brain energy and reducing physiological stress. Learn more: carnivoretogether.com