Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathy Hein, MSSW, LCSW, EMDR-C.
Hi Cathy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began my journey in the behavioral health field over 40 years ago. I first worked as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist for 10 years in behavioral health hospitals. It was a good gig and fun. But I decided I wanted to do more traditional psychotherapy. I graduated with my MSSW from UT at Austin in 1994. I started working in behavioral health hospitals right away because it was what I knew and because we moved around the country often due to my husband’s job. It would have been very difficult back then to try to establish a psychotherapy practice as I would just get started and then we would have to move. So I’ve worked in behavioral health hospitals until we moved back to Texas in 2010. At that point, I was done working in hospital systems. Since then, I worked for Harris Behavioral Health, a non-profit outpatient clinic, and a group psychotherapy practice. I opened my own practice, CH Counseling Services in June 2025. I did this for 2 main reasons: I wanted to prove to myself that I could run a business (we are not taught anything about business in graduate school) and for financial reasons. I already was established as a skilled psychotherapist specializing in trauma work in the Katy area and most of my referrals were coming from the relationships I have established over the past 15 years.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Yes and no. The clinical aspects of running a therapy practice I know very well. My goals are to always provide excellent customer service, compassionate and attuned therapy services along with an advanced skill set for treating anxiety, depression and trauma. That’s the easiest part for me. The harder part, was and is, the marketing aspects of running my own business and the use of technology to do things such as set up a client centered website and to learn how to market myself to my ideal clients. I took a business development course specifically for advanced trauma trained therapists in July and August and it was the best money I’ve spent in a long time. It really helped me gain some confidence in what I was already doing and gave me some skills in website development and how to market my skills. That being said, the technical aspects of the business are still a challenge for me. I always tell people I’m pretty technically illiterate. But, I will hire someone to do it for me if I need to improve things beyond my ability.
As you know, we’re big fans of CH Counseling Services. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am a private practice psychotherapist with over 30 years experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker/LCSW. At this time, I do not have any plans to expand my practice to include other providers. I want to focus my time and energy on providing life changing therapy to my clients. I provide individual therapy to adults 18 and older. What I am most proud of and what sets me apart from other therapists is the development of my advanced skill set which includes being certified in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for the past 10 years, advanced trainings in using Ego State Therapy/parts work (similar to IFS/Internal Family Systems Therapy), Structural Dissociation, and recently trained in Brainspotting. I am also trained in using CBT-I which is the gold standard for treating insomnia. My advanced training and applications of these skills has led me to often work with complex client presentations. I am constantly seeking out trainings that will improve my skills so I can better serve my clients and help them transform their lives to a state of mental wellness as effectively and efficiently as possible. I am a very strong generalist which comes from working for 25 years in behavioral health hospitals. I can treat many diagnoses but my specialties are working with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, attachment wounds, and both single incident trauma (like a bad car accident, loss of pregnancy, or single rape incident, etc.) or more complex trauma (repeated trauma over time) that often began in childhood and continues into adulthood for many. I am not a traditional talk therapist. People come to see me because I am a change therapist and skilled at helping people more permanently heal from their painful life experiences and transform into a state of mental wellbeing and improved quality of life.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love all the things that Houston has to offer in the way of entertainment, recreational activities, sports, the arts, excellent shopping, and best of all, the food and excellent restaurants.
I don’t like the congestion and traffic which is why I live and practice in the Katy area.
Pricing:
- $200/55 min. Individual session
- $225/hour for a 3 hour block or longer
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cheincounseling.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-hein-mssw-lcsw-cart-emdria-certified-clinician-202599198/
- Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/cathy-hein-mssw-lcsw-emdr-c-katy-tx/185013
Image Credits
Headshot is the only professional photo:
Naranja Dulce Photography
All other photos are mine or AI generated
