Dr. Catherine Alvarez, Ph.D., LMHC
Somatic-informed counselor focused on practical tools
About Catherine
Dr. Catherine Alvarez, Ph.D. offers a somatic-informed approach that connects body and mind to help people cope with stress, anxiety, addictions, and life changes. She is a licensed mental health counselor - FL LMHC MH23606 with 17 years of experience.
Her style is straightforward and practical, aimed at people who want clear tools and steady support. Her sessions blend body-focused awareness with evidence-based talk therapies. She uses elements of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice patterns and try different actions.
Background and approach
Attachment-based ideas help when relationship trust and closeness feel difficult. Dr. Alvarez works with many concerns, including depression, trauma, grief, sleep and eating problems, and challenges linked to caregiving or chronic illness.
She also addresses issues such as anger, intimacy, ADHD, and compassion fatigue. Her experience covers a wide range of life stressors and transitions. People in therapy with her can expect practical coping strategies, guidance on emotional regulation, and attention to how the body holds stress.
Sessions often include simple exercises to shift tense or stuck patterns alongside verbal reflection. Her practice is based in Florida and sessions are offered in English. International clients are accepted.
For those ready to begin, she asks people to complete a brief matching questionnaire and schedule a time that fits their life.
How somatic and talk therapies work online
Somatic-informed work helps people tune into physical sensations and the body’s responses. Online sessions can include guided breath work, grounding exercises, and movements to notice how stress shows up in the body. This approach can help with anxiety, trauma reactions, and chronic tension.Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on noticing thoughts without getting stuck in them and taking actions that match personal values. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and making changes during difficult life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thought and behavior and offers concrete skills to shift unhelpful cycles, which helps with mood, sleep, and coping with setbacks.
Finding the right mix is a team effort. The therapist will work with each person to try approaches that fit their goals and comfort level. It is normal to test different techniques and adjust based on what helps most.
Online therapy offers flexibility through video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit sessions around work, caregiving, or geography. Many people find remote sessions reduce logistical stress and make it simpler to practice skills between meetings.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also works with
- Abandonment
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sleeping disorders
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trauma and abuse
- Traumatic brain injury
- Trichotillomania
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Gottman Method
- Imago Relationship Therapy
- Jungian Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Somatic Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Experience
- 17 years
- Licensed
- Florida
- Languages
- English