Dr. Catherine Alvarez, Ph.D., LMHC
Narrative-focused counselor offering steady, practical support
Details
| Name | Dr. Catherine Alvarez, Ph.D. |
|---|---|
| Credentials | LMHC |
| Based in | Florida |
| Licensed in | Florida |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 17 |
About Catherine
Dr. Catherine Alvarez, Ph.D. is a licensed mental health counselor who uses Narrative approaches alongside practical methods to help people make sense of hard moments. She writes plainly and meets people where they are, offering steady support for stress, anxiety, grief, and relationship struggles.
She draws on Narrative Therapy to help people separate themselves from problems and rewrite life stories that feel stuck. She pairs that with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy when people want concrete tools for coping and changing unhelpful patterns.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on small, doable steps rather than long lectures. With 17 years of experience, she has worked with a wide range of concerns including addiction, trauma and abuse, bipolar disorder, anger, and compassion fatigue. She also supports people coping with career change, parenting strain, sleep or eating struggles, and issues around intimacy and self-esteem.
Her Florida-based practice pays attention to attachment and relationship patterns, and she uses Attachment-Based ideas to look at how early connections affect present choices. The work aims to be straightforward: notice patterns, test new ways of responding, and choose what matters most. Sessions are offered in English and Dr.
Alvarez also accepts international clients. She encourages people who feel overwhelmed or stuck to take a first step and reach out to explore what a better story might look like.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Relationship issues among the things Catherine works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Anger management
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Traumatic brain injury
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT): Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Existential Therapy: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Gottman Method: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Imago Relationship Therapy: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Jungian Therapy: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Somatic Therapy: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Internal Family Systems: Listed by Catherine among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Catherine directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Catherine directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
Narrative and action-focused approaches for online care
Dr. Alvarez commonly blends Narrative Therapy with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Attachment-Based ideas to guide online work. Narrative Therapy helps people step back from a problem and see how a story shapes their feelings and choices. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches simple skills for accepting difficult thoughts and focusing on what matters so actions match values. Attachment-Based ideas look at how early relationship experiences show up now and affect connections and trust.Finding the right approach is a shared process. The therapist will listen to goals, try methods that fit those goals, and adjust plans together. Clients decide which techniques feel most helpful and the work changes as needs evolve.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy fit daily life. Video calls let people read facial cues and have deeper conversations. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging work well for shorter check-ins, quick coping prompts, and ongoing support between longer sessions.
Common questions about this listing
What concerns does she address?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, sleep and eating problems, parenting strain, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and many related challenges.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is narrative and down-to-earth. She helps people tell their stories differently and pairs that with practical skills from ACT and CBT when useful.
What experience does she bring to sessions?
She has 17 years of clinical experience working with a broad range of emotional and behavioral concerns and life transitions.
Where is her practice located and what are her credentials?
She practices in Florida and holds the FL LMHC credential as a licensed mental health counselor.
Which languages are supported and can international clients be seen?
Sessions are offered in English, and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
She works with clients via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How are fees and payment handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
To start, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Catherine are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Catherine where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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