Cathy Smith, LPC

Cathy Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Michigan with 18 years of experience. She works with adults on stress, anxiety, relationship strain, trauma and abuse, depression, addictions, grief, codependency and related concerns. She offers counseling in English and Spanish and accepts international clients.

She began her career after undergraduate studies in sociology and Spanish, and early work in residential care for youth shaped her interest in counseling. Cathy later earned a master’s degree in Special Education and then a master’s in Counseling Psychology, which led to her LPC credential. That mix of school and hands-on work influences how she listens and responds to people.

Cathy uses several practical therapy methods. She draws on client-centered work to focus on each person’s goals and on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to find patterns that contribute to distress. She also uses mindfulness and solution-focused techniques to support coping and short-term shifts.

In sessions she pays attention to culture, sexual orientation, work, and belief systems so the conversation fits the person in front of her. She favors building on individual strengths and uses motivational interviewing and psychoeducation when those tools suit the issue at hand. Clients she has worked with include people managing trauma, PTSD, parenting stress, learning differences, and those on the autism spectrum.

Cathy keeps language direct and clear in the room. She helps people talk through boundaries, communication problems, people-pleasing patterns, and grief. Her approach aims to clarify next steps so clients can practice new ways of coping between sessions.

How her approaches translate to online work