Catherine Smith, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Community. Service. Meditation. Creativity.

Each of these has had a profound impact on my personal journey, and my professional life as a therapist. My work is based in a deep respect for all humanity, an awareness of the suffering people experience, and a heartfelt desire to work towards the alleviation of that suffering. Here you will find insight into my story – what led me down this path, and why I love my work.

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 counseling video sessions throughout the state of Hawaii

Empowerment Coaching services are offered throughout the United States and beyond-with the focus of engaging a wide range of tools, techniques, tips, and tricks that will assist women on their journey through the treatment of breast cancer.

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

Yes, I would like to schedule my initial consultation.

My roots in community service

While I have been in private practice since 2011, my path to this work began far earlier. My adolescence in the Deep South introduced me to the impacts of poverty, lack of education, and discrimination. Feeding my desire to understand how we can develop the strength and skills to grow beyond our life circumstances, I pursued an undergraduate degree in psychology and photography in college, followed by a Masters in Social Work at Tulane University in New Orleans a few years later. I am currently working towards a PhD in Depth Psychology with an emphasis in Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices from Pacifica Graduate Institute.

How hurricane Katrina changed my life

In 2005, while I was attending Tulane 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 Hurricane Katrina, 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 community.

Depth Psychology

My research is focused on better understanding the healing dynamics at play within the human-canine bond in the context of prison dog training programs. Across the country prisons are implementing dog training programs (PDPs) 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.