Catherine “Cat” VanWinterswyk

A Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor (PLPC), Cat is originally from the Shreveport/Bossier City area. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology with a second major of Psychology from Centenary College in Shreveport. She obtained her Alternative Teacher Certification in Secondary Mathematics and Biology from Louisiana Tech in Ruston, Louisiana and completed her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Cat specializes in mind-body connection, addiction, grief, trauma, and Christianity. She believes that a person’s experiences throughout their lifetime help to create the person they are today and also knows the mind and body work together for the overall health of the individual. Cat uses an eclectic counseling style that incorporates numerous theories and methods with her clients. She incorporates mindfulness, grounding, and relaxation techniques in addition to aromatherapy, sound therapy, breathing techniques, and visualization among other sensory components in her sessions. She is also EMDR certified.

During sessions, she explores unconscious, deeply buried thoughts and feelings in order to bring them forward into the conscious mind to be addressed. She helps her clients address and change maladaptive beliefs, thought patterns, and unproductive coping skills. She incorporates solution focused therapy which helps her clients use their own strengths to manage their present issues. Also, Cat examines nutrition as it plays a very important role in the functioning of the mind and body. She believes past events and current stressors contribute to unhealthy functioning.

Raised by a single parent, Cat has blended her family with that of her husband’s. She understands the hard work that goes into being a single parent and the difficulties that go into having a successfully blended family. She has three children, a stepson who is married, and has three granddaughters, two dogs, and a one-eyed cat. Having been an endurance athlete, she completed a half marathon and a half ironman triathlon. She has mountain biked numerous endurance events in Louisiana, Texas, and in the mountains of Arkansas, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. She enjoys scuba diving with her family and collects gnomes and bee decorations. She tends her honeybees on a regular basis and collects swarms in the spring and early summer. As if this wasn’t enough, She spends her free time flipping houses and managing rental houses and properties.