Cathy Smith, Therapist, MI | Mind Diagnostics

Licensed

Online Counseling

(40 reviews)

MA, LLP, LPC Cathy Smith

Provides online counseling through BetterHelp

Mental health conditions are real, common and treatable.

And recovery is possible.

Cathy Smith is an experienced, licensed Mental Health Professional who specializes in affordable online therapy offered through our partner, BetterHelp.

More about me

Licensing: MA, LLP, LPC Years in Practice: 18 State: Michigan

Having graduated with undergrad degrees in Sociology (Criminology) and Spanish, I began working in a residential treatment home for youth with emotional and mental illnesses. My early work there, sparked my interest in psychology and counseling. After starting our family, I returned to school to earn a teaching certificate and a Masters degree in Special Education. After many years of teaching in a variety of settings; institutional, public, private and alternative education, I felt I really wanted more time to listen to and talk with my students. Because of this, I returned to the university once more to complete a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology, earning licensure as a Limited License Psychologist and a Licensed Professional Counselor.

Relationship is the key to effective counseling just as it is to effective teaching. Being open to learning about the life of your client; their ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual preference, work, and belief systems is important as a therapist. Knowing your own limitations is also necessary. Life is very difficult at times, especially in these times! Helping clients to live their best lives is very important work.

I use a variety of methods in working with clients. My clients’ ages have ranged from four years to seventy nine years. I work with people with depression, anxiety, PTSD, grief, trauma, sexual and physical abuse, parenting problems, and even learning disabilities and people on the autism spectrum. Motivational interviewing, client centered work, solution focused, psychoeducational work, mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are tools that I use, based on what the client wants to achieve and their individual needs. Permeating all that I do is a strength based approach to looking at the person, always building on and utilizing their own strengths to partner with them to become healthy and happier.

About online counseling

Online counseling allows you to receive care from an online mental health practitioner via phone, video chat, or instant messaging. It is convenient for those who may have trouble getting to or would prefer not to have in-person therapy appointments. Starting at $65 per week, online counseling is generally more affordable than in-person counseling. A study by researchers at University of California, Berkeley found that online counseling can be just as effective as face-to-face therapy while being more convenient, affordable, and accessible.

Issues: Stress Anxiety Relationship issues Family conflicts Trauma and abuse Depression Addictions LGBT Grief Intimacy-related issues Eating disorders Sleeping disorders Parenting issues Anger management Self esteem Career difficulties Bipolar disorder Coping with life changes Coaching Compassion fatigue ADHD
Languages Spoken: English Spanish

Services offered

Professional, confidential, and judgment-free

When you tap CHAT NOW a new window will open and you'll be directed to a simple form that will help start the conversation.

Please note: It can take up to 24-48 hours to be matched to a therapist.

Reviews for Cathy Smith

Overall Rating

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Overall

Cathy is an absolute delight! Taking the leap to start therapy was difficult for me and I was incredibly nervous with all that was going on in my life, but Cathy has been so supportive, understanding, and empathetic that I wish I would have started sooner. She makes me feel comfortable and welcome with no judgement during every session. Cathy brings with her not only a unique outlook, but curiosity, kindness, and wisdom. Even working with her for just a few weeks, I feel confident in her experience and ability to help me reach my goals.

Cathy’s way to listen create a strong sense of understanding and safety. Her questions are very insightful that brings me to see a higher perspectives to my challenges.

Cathy was my first therapist and helped me heal through one of the toughest times in my life. She helped teach me good coping skills and how to handle my emotions better. She helped me learn how to feel my emotions rather than pushing them down, and how to cope with hard life changes. I’m so grateful for all of her help over our time spent together!

So easy to talk to. Very flexible and accommodating Genuinely cares and wants to see you succeed

Cathy is the best!

Great!

Cathy is AMAZING! She is there whenever I need her! She never forgets about me and is constantly reaching out letting me know she is there for me. I really appreciate her advice and kind words. Any time I start going off the rails, she is there to guide me back on track. I love her!

So far Cathy has been very helpful! She has a lot of experience, easy to talk to and she's not afraid to ask questions or start the conversation about any topic especially ones that might be a more difficult to talk about at first. She is very patient and understanding and has been great to work with and I look forward to continuing to work with her.

Cathy has been so helpful during such a tricky time in my life! She challenges me and always refocuses my priorities to making sure I’m working on myself when I have a habit of using therapy time to discuss how others may be feeling. Being apart of the LGBTQIA+ community, Cathy has always been so supportive and open minded. I appreciate her getting me to a place where I no longer need regular weekly sessions.

Cathy is very knowledgeable, friendly and professional.

Cathy is a great listener who has good takes on topics like family, relationships and boundaries! Great to talk to her!

I just started therapy with Cathy, but so far she is very attentive, gives great advice, and is very sweet and caring. It’s apparent her main objective is to help people and try to make them feel better

One word, awesome!

As someone working in the helping professions, I was skeptical about finding the right person to support me in my healing journey. I am so grateful that the person I was matched with, Cathy, is not only an expert in the field but comes with an authentic and humbled approach to creating a therapeutic alliance that gives me the tools and confidence to overcome my challenges and achieve my goals. I have already recommended Cathy to someone close to me and anybody would greatly benefit from having her in your corner!

Love cathy she is awesome

Thank you, Better Help, for matching me with Cathy Smith! After only a few meetings, I felt like she knew me. I look forward to my sessions with her because I know I will sign off with a greater understanding of myself. Cathy understands my issues and has given me helpful tools for dealing with problems large and small. I feel like I have made more progress in four months with Cathy than I have in years of in-person therapy!

Cathy is an excellent therapist! She is very understanding and resourceful. She gives thoughtful insight, and is very willing to help you establish goals to better yourself. She is very considerate of your needs and priorities!

She is great. Good Spanish and gives great advices

My therapist is awsome

She's a nice person to talk to. We're in completely opposite timezones but her expertise and insight made making the odd hours sessions worthwhile. The dramatic age difference and relatively similar background experiences made it easy for me to let my guard down and really get to the bottom of any triggering issues. A slight complaint might be the internet connection's not that stable from her current location. However, her regular check-ins outside dedicated sessions made up for it.

Cathy has been a wonderful therapist that helped me through a tough time. When I look back on the person I was when I started speaking to Cathy versus the person I am now, I am so grateful for all the confidence boosting that Cathy gave.

Cathy is kind, helpful and funny. I can't recommend her enough.

Very kind and patient. Taught a lot of different practices which have changed my life and how I view it. A wonderful therapist

Cathy is very friendly, capable and understanding and makes me feel very comfortable both in our sessions and through messaging and diary entries. I feel confident that Cathy will be able to help me and I also appreciate Cathy's upbeat energy - it always makes me feel more positive!

Cathy is the best therapist I have EVER worked with. I’ve had different therapists over the years. Only 4 sessions in and I’ve already touched on deep things. It’s fantastic.

Cathy is an experienced and supportive therapist. Greatly appreciate her approach, attention and flexibility.

Cathy listens patiently and has a very good understanding of what I tell her She's very nice and easy to talk to and has good advice

She's the best therapist you can have. You'll feel so safe and confident when you talk to her. She has so much experience so she knows exactly what she has to say. Talking to her is always healing. Thanks Cathy

Cathy is fantastic! She listens to me and really helps me feel heard. She connects with me and has helped improve my sense of self worth a lot.

Cathy has been fantastic so far on my counselling journey. She listens attentively, stops me to ask productive questions and encourage conversation, and explains tools and tricks to cope with struggles. She responds quickly, compassionately, and I never feel like a clock is ticking or I'm being timed. I enjoy our sessions and look forward to continuing.

Cathy is very sweet and patient with listening and guiding the topic of our conversations during our sessions. I also appreciate her for messaging me throughout the week between our appointments to check in on me.

I’ve had really good interaction with Cathy. She’s patiently listened to me & what my issues are, and how I can change me. Very positive, fun, it’s like talking to a friend who can guide you . Not just agree.

Cathy is amazing. Kind and understanding. I feel like she knows exactly what I’m talking about and exactly what I need to become a better and healthier me.

With only two sessions with Cathy, my self-confidence returned, I am happy to have had someone to talk with, about my problems and insecurities. From now on, the decisions I make will be based on her recommendations. Thank you

Cathy is a great and attentive counselor, she has a variety of experience that is helpful in many ways. I always leave our sessions feeling better and more hopeful than before.

Cathy has been a great counselor, she’s kind, thoughtful and very easy to talk to. I’ve looked forward to talking to her and she makes me feel very comfortable and I feel like I can talk to her about anything. She’s got great insight and recommendations too!

I've worked with many therapists over the years and always left my sessions feeling worse or depleted. I used to dread my therapy sessions. Working with Cathy has been the exact opposite. She's so engaged the entire time we chat and makes me feel heard and cared for. I love that she has so much life experience and a wise perspective because then things feel less heavy. I would recommend Cathy to anyone who is stuck in their own head.

I feel grateful to have such an experienced therapist, it feels very easy to talk with her and she is really a great listener. It's also comforting just knowing she is a message away. I've only recently started meeting with her and I already feel like I am growing and making progress.

Cathy is very kind, intelligent and understanding. She has such a warm and welcoming personality, making it easy to open up and share with her. She has time and again recommended helpful ways for me to handle my personal hurdles and seems to really care about my well being and happiness.

She’s very experienced. We had one session only so far but I will get a good help for better life.

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