MEET CATHERINE
I am a Psychotherapist with 20+ years of experience in the Bay Area. Working with me, you will find that I am solution focused, positive, person-centered, and highly collaborative in my work.
I pride myself on my ability to create a safe, respectful and empowering atmosphere for inner and relational work, honoring each individuals journey and utilizing their inner and relational resources.
My approach to therapy is authentic inquiry. I view myself as a team with my clients rather than someone who has answers. I know the questions to ask, I know many things that have worked for others, and I care.
Together, we can discover the path toward the particular goals a person or couple may have.
Solution-Focused Therapy
When I work with Individuals, Couples, Teens, Parents, and Children, I am most interested in what those involved see as the solutions to their problems, what they desire to experience as a result of therapy.
Buried within the contrast that each problem illuminates, lies the dreams and hopes of life with the reduction or absence of that problem. It is the content of what each person wishes to express/feel/experience in their life that guides the way toward healing and relief. This is Solution-Focused Therapy. As the elements of living that are most fervently desired are attended to, and we dwell less and less on what is stopping us, we are liberated from our limitations.
Solution-Focused Couple Counseling
Bringing this solution-focused perspective to couples means helping you explore and access the relationship that you want to have. This approach to couples work is different than that of many therapists. Building on the couples’ strengths, my aim is to help you create a stronger relationship, learn the tools of effective and satisfying communication, interaction, and conflict management. This is achieved using a wide range of practical tools and simple techniques. Let my solution-focused approach go to work for you and your relationship, call today for an appointment.
Embracing Life’s Transitions
There are so many changes in our lives! Some of them can really push us off balance. I love working with new parents, students managing college, and people of all ages struggling with relationship changes, job changes, or the effects of trauma. I also enjoy supporting those experiencing “empty nest,” death of a parent, or embracing our aging bodies and minds and all the opportunities these stages of life bring us!
I am here for you to explore all these issues related to identity and to help fortify one’s sense of self, and voice, both personally and interpersonally. Call for an appointment and let’s talk.
3 Sources of Knowledge
My work as a therapist is the synthesis of 3 different sources of knowledge:
- Active and ongoing study.
- The integration and practice of what I have learned in my own life.
- The knowledge of all I have garnered from my clients over the course of my 20-year career.
I have a passion for learning and study. I enjoy keeping up to date on what the research is telling us about what works, not only in therapy but in life! I make a point of educating myself deeply about the issues that my clients bring to me.
My presence as a therapist is enhanced greatly by my own experience and all that I have learned from my own life and journey. I don’t talk about myself much, but I have developed many tools and strategies that work, I know, because I use them myself.
A session with me is not just the compilation of what I learned in school, or from a few articles; it is the synthesis of a lifetime of active pursuit of knowledge about mental and relational health, both within education and academic settings AND as it applies in the “real world”; to the real people whom I have had the honor of working with and to my own lifelong and deeply introspective journey.
Education and Licensing
I received my Bachelors of Science in Child Development from California State University, Fresno and a Masters of Science in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from San Jose State University. My MFT license is issued by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences #MFT 36001. I have been licensed since 1999. I am an active member of The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT).
Practical Experience
Throughout my career, I have focused on helping people become their best selves, achieving satisfying and healthy relationships, achieving work/life balance, providing prevention services, and treatment and support of youth and adolescents, their families, and individuals in all stages of life.
During my nearly 20+ year professional life as a psychotherapist, I have worked within local agencies providing both therapy and clinical supervision services. Some of the California non-profit agencies where I have practiced include Community Solutions in Gilroy/Hollister California, Education Training and Research (ETR) in Scotts Valley, PVPSA in Watsonville, and Encompass in Santa Cruz. I have also maintained a diverse private practice in Santa Cruz County.
Certified Wellness Educator
Although not a part of formal pyschotherapist licensing, I became a Certified Wellness Educator in 2017. This certification has allowed me to deepen my understanding of various interlocking systems and dynamics in the human body and mind that affect our overall wellness.
Fees
What is your hourly rate?
My standard rate is $100 per session.
Do you accept insurance?
Some plans will reimburse for my services and you may check with yours to see if they will cover individual psychotherapy with a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist of your choice. I will request payment at each session and will prepare a statement for you to submit to your insurance company.
What forms of payment do you accept?
Cash, Check, Visa, Mastercard.
Let’s Talk
Call now for an appointment
(831) 246-2545
CATHERINE MARCOTTE
720 River Street, Suite 7 (in the Gateway Plaza)
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Appointments available:
Tuesday: 9am - 5pm
Wednesday: 9am - 5pm
Thursday: 9am - 5pm
Friday: 9am - 5pm
Closed Monday, Saturday & Sunday
Evening appointments available.
Weekend appointments available by special arrangement.
© Copyright 2019. Catherine Marcotte, MFT. All Rights Reserved.