Credentials
Cathryn Heyman holds a Masters degree in Professional Counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She has a particular interest in the use of technology in counseling and has attained the Certified Distance Counselor designation.** In addition to traditional face-to-face counseling, she offers counseling and coaching from a distance as well as in person. She graduated from Texas State University in 2002.
- Licensed Professional Counselor: Texas State Board Examiners-Professional Counselors
- National Certified Counselor: National Board Certified Counselors
- Distance Credentialed Counselor: Center for Credentialing and Education
Education
Master of Arts, Professional Counseling, Texas State University, San Marcos
Post-grad, Communication Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
Bachelor of Arts, Speech and Dramatic Arts, University of Missouri, Columbia
Personal
** Prior to a career in counseling, Cathy was an analyst/programmer with the St. Louis Cardinals National Baseball Club in St. Louis, Missouri, and with Gallagher Bassett Services in Chicago, Illinois.
The switch to counseling was a 180 degree life change and a very good one! She now lives in the Texas Hill Country overlooking a large cattle ranch. You can take the city out of the girl…
Practice
Areas of Specialization: anger, anxiety, depression, stress, relationship issues, grief and loss, pet bereavement, job loss, forgiveness, singleness, self-esteem
Effective Support: Cathy believes an effective therapist/coach offers more than sympathy. While empathizing with what you’re going through, an effective therapist also confronts distorted thinking and poor choices, and then guides you toward healthier actions. Good therapy is lively and sometimes playful. You can accomplish serious good work wearing a smile.
Mindful Cognitive Therapy: What you think determines what you feel, so in order to feel differently, you must think differently. Cathy’s approach is best described as Mindful Cognitive Therapy. Your mutual goal will be to change the way you relate to your thoughts, rather than narrowly focus on changing the content of your thinking.
This shift in emphasis (from content to context) leads clients to regain a sense of control and calm. You will leave session feeling empowered. Cathy teaches clients to identify habits that limit their growth and opportunities. One commonly neglected way that we can create a healthier, more positive mind is through reconnecting with our bodies. Simply noticing where in your body you feel “worried” for example, helps knock the worry meter down a notch. It’s kind of like the child who keeps repeating “Mom, Mom, Mom” with increasing volume. Once you turn toward the child and listen, he or she quiets down. Your emotions are no different.
What you say to yourself has a lot to do with how you feel. That means you have more control over how you feel than you may believe… Change what you are saying and you will feel differently. Counseling with Cathy will help you learn to create healthy boundaries, and calm and nurture yourself instead of numb your experience with mental noise (thoughts about problems) or mindless activities (alcohol, drugs, computer games, sex, shopping, food, etc.). Most clients report that their lives feel more even-keeled and less bumpy which gives them more freedom to do the things they enjoy.
Cathy’s written an article that explains how the brain works in therapy, which you may download here: Neuroplasticity – Wiring the Brain for Good