Welcome to my office.  Take a seat where you’d like.  I’d like to introduce myself so that you can get a feel for who I am, how I work, and if we could be a good fit. I am currently meeting with people via telehealth or zoom. I practice as a psychotherapist, consultant, and trainer.

If you choose to have me as your therapist, I will meet and accept you where you are, as you are. 

My Approach

Like people, my approach varies.  While I practice gestalt therapy on a personal and professional level, I tend to work from an eclectic perspective.   

Gestalt therapy, in my experience, is relational (engages the client-therapist relationship), process-oriented (focuses on the what and how as oppose to the why), and is a "now" therapy (I will help you to work with your relevant past in the present).  I take a holistic approach which includes cognition, emotions, body/somatic experience, sensations, energies/vibrations, spirituality, and whatever else surfaces.

My Work

I work with people--individuals, relationships of all kinds, and invite you.  While I have a specialty in working with people who have experienced discrimination, oppression, and/or marginalization, I work with depression, anxiety, grief, loss, anger, stress, finding community, feelings of loneliness, low self-esteem, trauma, fear, shame, pressure to meet expectations of self, family, culture, community, and/or society, and/or issues surrounding identity.

I find great value in being with people of backgrounds and experiences which are both similar and different than my own. I work from an authentic, gestalt way of being in any relationship I encounter including ours. 

Gestalt Therapy Demonstrations

My practice with gestalt therapy is not ‘person-centered,’ but is ‘relationship-centered.’ Because people are different and dynamics are different with different people, the following videos are a demonstration of a relationship between that particular person and I. Our relationship, if we have one, is different. That said, because gestalt therapy is experiential, here’s a sense:

Qualifications

I view being your psychotherapist, facilitator, and/or consultant as a privilege.  I want to share with you what I've done, what I'm doing, and what I will do to make sure I am present in my experience with you.

Self-Care

I have developed a self-care practice that works for me.  Some of the ways I take care of myself are through music, writing, exercising, going outside/in nature, hanging out with natural supports (friends and family of choice), using a variety of coping skills depending on circumstances (deep breathing, mindful meditation), and accessing my own professional supports (yes, I see my own therapist).  I also receive clinical supervision, attend peer-led and consult groups, and have a network of practitioners whom I can consult with and refer. 

License & Certification

I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (11211) with the North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors. I also received a Certificate in Personal Training from Gainesville College.

Education & Training

I am a graduate of a 3-year, advanced training program through the Appalachian Gestalt Training Institute. I completed a 1-year internship and taught at a gestalt collective in Asheville, NC/Zoom.

I have an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy from Appalachian State University, an MBA in Organization Management from Georgia State University, and a BS Ed in Recreation and Leisure Studies with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation from University of Georgia. I have trained in several somatic courses including Somatic Abolitionism with Resmaa Menakem. I also have a GED.

I have attended and will continue to attend professional conferences, workshops, and continuing education opportunities in racial equity, decolonizing wellness, mental health, gestalt therapy, transgender health, and diversity issues. 

I have training in exercise science, kinesiology, resistance training, and group fitness from AFAA, Gainesville College, and the Cooper Institute.  I have a Level 1 certificate in Myofascial Release.

My Experience

I have 18 years of experience working in the field of mental health, in positions of leadership, and 15 years of experience working in camps, fitness and recreation. 

Would you like to work with me?

Call me: 828-263-7273

Email me: Catie@gestaltwellnessstudio.com

I look forward to connecting with you.