Cathy Nau, LMHC

Cathy Nau is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Washington who helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and major life changes. She offers steady, practical support to help clients take the first small steps toward their goals. Cathy draws on almost three decades of experience to guide people through difficult moments and decision points.

She uses straightforward, evidence-based tools like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and client-centered methods also appear in her work to help people notice what matters and build toward it. Cathy adapts her approach to each person's needs and pace.

Her background includes long clinical experience and work with people affected by trauma, ADHD, eating and food-related issues, caregiving stress, and moral injury related to first responder and veteran issues. She has also supported people dealing with cancer, hospice and end-of-life concerns, and aging and geriatric issues. Practical coping skills and clear goal-setting are regular parts of her sessions.

Cathy describes a warm, respectful style. Sessions emphasize listening, developing specific strategies, and trying small changes between meetings. She works in English and practices across a broad range of mood and adjustment concerns.

People interested in starting can expect a collaborative first phase that clarifies problems and lays out manageable steps. Her LMHC credential is listed as WA LMHC and her practice is based in Washington.

How Cathy’s approaches translate to online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them and then choose small committed actions that match personal values. In online sessions this can translate into brief exercises, values worksheets, and action planning between meetings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting unhelpful thinking patterns and testing new behaviors. Through video or phone sessions Cathy can guide thought records, behavioral experiments, and practical homework to shift day-to-day routines.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Cathy will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and comfort. Sessions begin with a clear focus, try a method for a few weeks, and adjust based on what helps. This collaborative stance lets the therapist and client refine strategies together.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, offering flexibility for different schedules. Video is useful when visual cues help the conversation, phone sessions work when bandwidth is limited, live chat and text are good for short check-ins or writing out thoughts. Using these options can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to keep working on goals between meetings.