Cathy Bottrell, LICSW, LCSW

Cathy Bottrell is a licensed clinical social worker who helps people manage grief, loss, and major life changes. She holds LICSW and LCSW credentials and brings 23 years of experience to her counseling work in the District of Columbia.

She focuses on stress, anxiety, depression, and coping with illness and chronic conditions. She also supports people dealing with relationship struggles, intimacy concerns, parenting strain, and the effects of trauma and abuse. Cathy helps with addictions, sleep problems, career stress, and issues related to adoption and family of origin.

Cathy uses practical talk and proven therapy methods to help people process past experiences. She works collaboratively, helping clients identify small, usable steps they can try between sessions. Sessions often include attention to thoughts, values, and mindful awareness to reduce distress and improve daily functioning.

Her approach draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, client-centered methods, and mindfulness practices. These approaches are used to address difficult emotions, painful memories, and ongoing life pressures in ways that match each person’s goals.

Cathy provides counseling for teens and adults who want help moving through transitions, managing symptoms, or finding clearer direction. To begin, she asks people to describe their concerns so they can agree on practical goals and steps to reach them.

How Cathy Uses ACT, CBT, and Mindfulness Online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without being driven by them, so they can act according to their values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical skills to shift unhelpful patterns. Mindfulness Therapy trains attention and present-moment awareness to reduce reactivity and improve emotion regulation.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Cathy will talk with each person about their goals and preferences, and then suggest methods to try. She collaborates on a plan and adjusts it as progress is made, combining techniques from ACT, CBT, and client-centered methods when that fits the client’s needs.

Session formats are not specified in the provided biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, shorten check-ins when needed, and reduce commuting time. It can also allow people to work on skills and coping strategies from their everyday context while keeping scheduling flexible.