Catherine Smith, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Community.  Service.  Meditation.  Creativity.

Supporting Hawaii since 2007

I feel blessed to be able to call Hawaii home since 2007.  I hold a deep reverence for the culture and strive to make a positive contribution to this community.  Whether you are hoping to ease emotional stress, process past memories, or develop more positive communication and problem solving skills, my approach includes a variety of evidence-based techniques to help you create positive change.

I am currently offering Telehealth video sessions throughout the state of Hawaii and New York City.

I welcome you to contact me for an initial consultation to see if I am the right fit for your counseling needs.

My roots in community service

While I have been in private practice since 2011, my path to this work began far earlier. I pursued an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Photography at the University of South Carolina, followed by a Master’s degree in Social Work from Tulane University in New Orleans a few years later. I am currently a candidate for a PhD in Depth Psychology with an emphasis on Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices from Pacifica Graduate Institute.

How hurricane Katrina changed my life

In 2005, while I was attending Tulane University and working on my Master’s thesis with Tibetan refugees in Northern India, the arrival of Hurricane Katrina brought the loss of my home and belongings as well as new clarity in my life work. This was the first time I had ever experienced real personal loss, and I was awed by the genuine concern and compassion shown by the Tibetan community despite the severity of their own circumstances. It was this demonstration of warmth, selflessness and loving kindness that impacted me most.…and it was contagious.

The teachings of Tibet

While in India directly after the hurricane, before returning to New Orleans, I found myself with a rare window between worlds, hearing profound stories of loss and suffering from our Tibetan friends and witnessing their resilience, while also considering what my role would be to help ease the suffering in my own community. Perhaps the most important part of my work with the Tibetan refugees was my introduction to the meditation and mind training that have allowed such extraordinary resilience in the face of tremendous loss.

Still learning

I continue to engage in personal retreats studying meditation techniques that make this perspective of compassion and loving kindness possible. Additionally, I take part in professional training and conferences as new treatment approaches emerge. As a result, my skill set as a therapist is always growing to help me best meet the needs of my clients.

Depth Psychology

When I began the PhD program I adopted my dog—Daisy Bear. The heart-opening joy that she has brought into my life has been positively unimaginable. The process of training Daisy and the range of unexpected emotional benefits I’ve experienced because of this relationship have inspired me to focus my dissertation on better understanding the human-canine bond.

My research is specifically focused on the human-canine bond in the context of prison dog training programs (PDPs). Across the country prisons are implementing programs in which incarcerated people live with and train dogs for a variety of service-oriented tasks and purposes. For example, in some PDPs, inmates will work with rescue dogs to teach them basic obedience and socialization skills, which enhances the canines’ adoptability. In other PDPs, dogs have been trained for roles such as: “detecting explosives, locating invasive species (e.g., termites, bed bugs), identifying disease in small tissue samples, alerting/responding to seizures, serving as companions for children with Autism, supporting military veterans with PTSD, and providing balance/support when walking for people with mobility issues” (Jalongo, 2019). It is striking that these PDPs report consistently successful outcomes within a prison system where effective rehabilitation programming is lacking. The body of research on these programs shows that improvements occur in participants across a wide range of markers such as self-esteem, communication, patience, self-efficacy, and a desire to help others. PDPs have also been shown to reduce recidivism and initiate a process of individual transformation. One of the most intriguing aspects that is common to the various PDPs is the undeniably positive influences they provide for the inmates’ mental and behavioral health, even though these programs were not necessarily designed to produce specific therapeutic outcomes.

New York City

In 2023, I was confronted with a health crisis that led me to NYC—where I lived for a year as I underwent treatment. It was during this healing journey that I fell in love with the city—the people, the electric creativity—I reveled in the amazing art, the theater, music—the food, and I was continuously inspired by the unexpected spontaneous conversations and connections that the city so generously offers. I have expanded my practice and hope to give back after having received so much. I am a member of the C. G. Jung Foundation of New York.