Catherine Doster (MA, LCMHCA)
Christian Counseling for Trauma, Women, and Couples in Wake Forest & Online
A safe, compassionate space to process your story, heal from the past, and move toward hope, connection, and flourishing.
About Catherine
Catherine is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate who specializes in working with individuals and couples navigating anxiety, relational patterns, or past experiences that feel difficult to untangle on their own—especially in seasons of transition, relationship strain, or unresolved past experiences. She is passionate about helping clients experience meaningful healing, emotional growth, and deeper, more secure relationships.
Catherine views counseling as a collaborative and restorative process, and strives to create a warm, nonjudgmental space where clients feel truly seen, heard, and supported.
Her path into counseling has been diverse, including experience in ministry, marketing, editing, higher education, and nonprofit community development. This background allows her to bring both depth and perspective to the many challenges and transitions people face throughout life.
She approaches counseling holistically, recognizing the connection between mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health, and thoughtfully tailors the process to each client’s unique story and needs.
Catherine is committed to walking alongside clients as they make sense of their stories in a way that feels grounding rather than overwhelming, process difficult experiences at a manageable pace, and move toward lasting change, greater connection, and hope.
Who Catherine Helps
Catherine works with:
- Adult individuals, primarily women, navigating anxiety, trauma, and life transitions
- Couples and premarital couples seeking deeper connection, communication, and understanding
- Parents and families navigating relational dynamics and the challenges of caregiving
- Individuals seeking Christian or faith-informed counseling, including those exploring spiritual questions, hurt, or trauma
- Clients working through trauma, attachment wounds, and patterns that feel difficult to change
Education and Background
Catherine earned her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College. She completed her Master of Arts in Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, with specialized training in trauma, at Richmont Graduate University.
She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC), an EMDR-trained clinician, and a certified SYMBIS/SYMBIS+ Facilitator for premarital and marriage counseling. She has also received additional training in polyvagal theory and Internal Family Systems (IFS) (IFS Circle).
In addition to her clinical work, Catherine enjoys raising awareness around mental health, trauma, trauma-safe churches, and spiritual formation through writing, speaking, and workshops within faith-based and clinical communities.
Which Insurance Is Accepted
Insurances that will be accepted:
Aetna
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Catherine's Approach
Relational & Trauma-Informed Care for Individuals and Couples
Catherine’s approach is relational, trauma-informed, and deeply compassionate. She believes meaningful change happens within the context of a safe, trusting relationship, and works at a pace that feels steady, respectful, and manageable for each client and couple.
Together, you will slow down and gently explore the patterns, emotions, and experiences that have shaped you—developing deeper insight, greater emotional awareness, and practical tools to help you feel more grounded, connected, and clear in your day-to-day life. In couples work, she helps partners identify relational patterns, strengthen communication, and move toward deeper understanding, repair, and connection. Her work is grounded in understanding the root causes of distress, not just managing symptoms.
Catherine integrates evidence-based approaches, including mindfulness, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), psychodynamic and family systems perspectives, and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)-informed work for couples, along with nervous system-informed practices, tailoring the process to each client’s and couple’s unique needs and goals.
For clients who desire it, she thoughtfully integrates faith, as well as space for spiritual questions, hurt, or trauma, into the counseling process—honoring each person’s beliefs, experiences, and story without pressure or assumption.
Area of Focus
What Catherine Can Help With
Catherine provides counseling and support for:
Trauma recovery, including chronic, complex, and developmental trauma
Anxiety, stress, and feeling overwhelmed
Attachment and relational patterns that feel difficult to change
Marriage, premarital counseling, and relationship challenges
Perinatal and maternal mental health
Parenting and family dynamics
Life transitions, identity shifts, and adjustment
Grief and loss
Spiritual concerns, faith-related questions, and experiences of spiritual hurt or trauma
Her goal is to help clients develop resilience, experience meaningful healing, and move toward greater emotional and relational security.
Location and Availability
