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A little bit about me

Hi, I'm Cathrine.

I work with adults dealing with anxiety, and with people going through infertility — two experiences that don't always show up together, but often do, and often for reasons that aren't immediately obvious.

Anxiety rarely arrives out of nowhere. Underneath the racing thoughts and the sense of dread is usually a story — something old, something the mind is trying to manage or keep at bay. I'm less interested in just quieting the noise than in understanding what it's protecting you from, or trying to tell you. That's where real, lasting change tends to start.

Infertility brings its own kind of unconscious weight. It can stir up questions about identity, worth, and control that go back long before the fertility struggles began — questions about your body, your family, what it means to be "enough." I've sat with a lot of people in this exact spot, and I don't think you need to have it all figured out before you walk in. Part of the work is figuring it out together.

I'm not going to pretend therapy is magic, or that insight alone fixes everything. But I do believe that understanding the deeper patterns driving your anxiety — and making sense of what infertility is bringing up for you — can loosen their grip in a way that surface-level coping never quite manages. If that kind of work appeals to you, I'd be glad to talk.

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A relatable approach

I have lived my entire life in Southern California and understand the pressures and burdens our region puts on families and individuals.

Whether it’s the high cost of living or childcare, the pressure to keep up with what your neighbors, friends, or children’s peers have or do, or ease at which one can feel strangely alone in such a densely populated area, it can be extremely hard to find and prioritize selfcare.

I believe that we have enough judgment, assumption and criticism in our relationships and even in our own thinking.  

Therefore, I strive to create an experience with my patients where they don't have to defend themselves, feel like greater failures in areas that they struggle, or walk away feeling worse about themselves.  I offer hope and comfort, centering on understanding the mess of relationships.

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By the Books

  • I mentioned that anxiety and infertility both tend to bring up more than what's on the surface — old patterns, old questions, things the mind is trying to manage rather than resolve. My philosophy grows directly out of that belief.

    I'm not just trying to help you cope with symptoms; I'm trying to help you understand them. What is the anxiety protecting you from? What is infertility stirring up that predates the fertility struggles themselves? Those questions matter, because insight — not just strategy — is usually what makes change last.

    That said, there's no script. Everyone's patterns are their own, so we figure this out together, at your pace, without rushing past what's hard. And through all of it, I try to bring the same thing I'd want from a therapist myself: warmth, honesty, and a real relationship — not a clinical checklist.

    • Masters of Science in Counseling, Cal State Fullerton

    • Bachelors of Arts in Psychology, Child and Family Therapy Concentration

    • Private Practice - 5+ yrs

    • Fullerton School District - 7 yr

    • Crisis youth shelter - 3yr

    • California Association for Marriage and Family Therapists, 2012 to present

    • California Association for Marriage and Family Therapists, Orange County Chapter, 2013 to present