Couples Counseling Therapists in Portland, TX

Hi! I’m Cathy Armstrong and offer a holistic multifaceted approach to inner healing, getting to the root cause of addiction, substance abuse, eating disorders and trauma.

I approach the helping relationship with respect, patience, acceptance and collaboration. My practice is client-centered, focusing on your immediate needs and problem-solving different ways to approach roadblocks that prevent you from achieving the quality of life that you deserve. You and I will work together towards solutions that may include learning new and better ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. My goal is to help you identify and reach your goals.

Sometimes life offers you challenges that appear to be over-whelming. You have life changes that affect everything you knew to be right or comfortable. Situations that you felt in control of have become unmanageable. It could be you have lost sight of what you wanted in a relationship or a career or finding tools to be an effective, caring member of your family and friend network. Taking that first step in finding answers may seem impossible. My experience and expertise covers a wide range of issues. I would welcome the opportunity to help you and your loved ones regain the balance of a happy, healthy life with a solid and manageable treatment plan.

Life's journey presents us with a variety of opportunities and obstacles. Often times, our lives can feel overwhelming or confusing. Sometimes we might feel stuck or lost. I want to hear your story and understand your experience. Through therapy, I seek to help you understand yourself and others around you better. I will help you explore the way you see the world, your relationships, your "wiring", etc. I work well with a variety of concerns including marital issues, ADHD (kids and adults), depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. I work best with clients who seek to deepen their understanding of themselves and others.

I primarily work with women ages 16+ on issues of anxiety, depression, sexual impulse control, addiction, trauma and spiritual exploration and growth. I have a heart for young and single mothers as well as those seeking to deepen their relationship with God. It is my hope that we can work to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, that you might regain purpose, fulfillment, and intimacy.

I have 18+ years of experience as a licensed professional counselor. I work with adolescent and adult individuals and couples. Whether you are experiencing difficulty with anxiety, depression, relationships - both personal and professional, or you are simply curious to see if speaking with a therapist might help you feel like yourself again, I'm here to help.

Much of my work involves helping my clients identify what is going well for them, and learning ways to include more of those positives into their lives. This naturally helps reduce the sting of the negatives life throws at us. I help clients identify their own strengths and develop coping skills for use during difficult times. I have experience in helping clients work through past and recent traumas of all types. I’m a fully certified EMDR practitioner, which is a type of therapy that reprocesses trauma in such a way that clients end up feeling empowered by the same experiences that once debased them.

We are more than the sum of our parts. We are complex and beautiful. We seek to feel alive, feel loved. To achieve long lasting change and well-being it is essential to address an ailment/symptom at its roots and consider the full mind, body, and spirit connection, our environment, and the whole system in which we aim to function. Using treatment to address a symptom might not address the issues that causes the symptom. Holistic Counseling looks at the whole picture, not just the color that is peeling off the picture's corner. I truly believe each person has the capacity, strength, and ability to flourish and achieve their goals.

*OFFERING IN PERSON AND TELEHEALTH* Did you or someone you know experience or witness something traumatic that has weighed heavily on your mind, impacted your relationships, or kept you from reaching your full potential? Do you often find yourself thinking or saying "I don't want to burden anyone with this", "my friends/family don't understand", or "I just want to get over it"? Do you struggle with anxiety, depression, anger, relationship problems, self-esteem, or self-image issues? Have you tried to "get over it", but still struggle with the same problems? If you can relate, then it's time to work through the trauma and heal.

There are many times in our life when we do not feel or think we are cared about or understood. It can be disheartening as it feeds into our negative self-talk and impacts multiple relationships. It isn't necessarily the "fitting in" part that gets to us...it's the "who is going to accept me for me, with all of my emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and lifestyle choices?" Whether it's the people we love, the career path we chose, the trauma we have encountered, or who we have become, we are all just trying to improve our situation while still respecting who we are as individuals.