Trauma & mood therapy · Westlake, Austin
Where you are isn't
where you have to stay.
I'm Catherine Whitten, MA, LPC, C‑DBT — a trauma-informed therapist in Austin. I help teens and adults process what happened, quiet the noise, and build a life that actually fits, with EMDR, DBT, and real conversation.
Free 15-minute phone call · Catherine replies within 48 hours
- TX LPC #89030
- EMDRIA-trained
- Certified DBT
- In-network with Aetna via Headway
- Ages 12+
Does any of this land?
You've been carrying a lot. Probably for a while.
You don't need a diagnosis or a tidy explanation to start. “Something's off” is a perfectly good reason.
Trauma & PTSD
Past experiences that still set the tone for today.
Anxiety
The racing thoughts, the bracing, the what-ifs on repeat.
Depression
Flat, heavy, disconnected — going through the motions.
Self-worth
The inner critic that never clocks out.
Emotion regulation
Feelings that arrive at full volume with no dial.
Self-harm & destructive patterns
Coping that's costing more than it helps.
Relationships
Repeating the same painful dynamics and not sure why.
Life transitions
A move, a loss, a role change that knocked you off center.
How I work
Not a blank stare. Not a worksheet factory.
Healing happens in a relationship that feels safe enough to be honest in. That's the foundation — everything else is built on it.
From there I pull from whatever actually fits you: structured trauma reprocessing, concrete skills for the hard moments, and the slower work of understanding why the patterns started in the first place.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
A structured, evidence-based approach that helps your brain reprocess stuck traumatic memories so they stop hijacking the present. Catherine is EMDRIA-trained.
DBT
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Concrete skills for riding out intense emotions, tolerating distress, and staying steady in relationships. Catherine is a Certified DBT clinician (C-DBT).
CBT
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Noticing and reworking the thought patterns that keep anxiety and low mood on a loop — so the story in your head matches reality.
IFS
Internal Family Systems
Getting to know the different parts of you — the protector, the critic, the exile — and helping them work together instead of against each other.
Psychodynamic
Psychodynamic & relational therapy
Following the patterns — where they started, what they protected you from, and how they show up now — inside a relationship that feels safe enough to change in.
Nervous-system work
Polyvagal theory & interpersonal neurobiology
Understanding why your body reacts the way it does under stress, and building real tools to bring it back to baseline.
Meet Catherine
A real person, sitting across from you.
I earned my Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at St. Edward's and trained at Austin State Hospital before opening Blooming Minds Austin in 2024. Outside the office I'm with my husband and two kids, on a walk, deep in an embroidery project, or watching another movie.
- St. Edward's University
- EMDRIA-trained
- Certified DBT
- Austin State Hospital
How it works
From first call to real change
- 01
Consultation call
A free 15-minute call to talk through what's bringing you in, plus scheduling and fees. No pressure.
- 02
Initial intake session
Your first full session — your story, your history, and what you want out of therapy. We set goals together.
- 03
Treatment plan
A plan tailored to you — usually a mix of modalities: psychodynamic work, DBT and CBT skills, nervous-system work, trauma processing.
- 04
Ongoing sessions & growth
Therapy is a journey, not a quick fix. Some sessions go deep, some are practical — all of it toward a life that feels lighter and more yours.
Good questions
The stuff people ask before reaching out
Catherine works with teens (12–17) and adults on trauma and PTSD, anxiety, depression, self-worth, emotion regulation, relationship patterns, and life transitions. She also offers parent coaching and family sessions. All identities and viewpoints are welcome.
Send the inquiry form on the contact page. Catherine replies within about 48 hours to book a free 15-minute phone consult. On that call you'll talk through what's bringing you in, fit, scheduling, and fees. If it's a match, you'll schedule a full intake session.
Blooming Minds Austin is in-network with Aetna through Headway. For other plans, Catherine provides monthly superbills you can submit for out-of-network reimbursement. Check your out-of-network outpatient mental health benefits first — superbills are not a guarantee of reimbursement.
Fees are discussed on your free consult call so you have a clear number before committing. A limited number of sliding-scale spots are available based on financial need — ask about current availability when you reach out.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured, evidence-based therapy that helps your brain reprocess stuck traumatic memories. During sessions you briefly recall a memory while following a back-and-forth cue. Most people notice the memory loses its charge over time. Catherine is EMDRIA-trained.
Reaching out is the hard part. Let's make the rest easier.
A free 15-minute call to see if we're a fit. In-person in Westlake, or virtual anywhere in Texas.