I’m Catherine Curtin, PhD, a Licensed Psychologist with over 30 years of experience providing individual psychotherapy to adolescents and adults, as well as couples therapy.

I have a general practice, but I also specialize in treating adolescents and adults with ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). Depending on the needs of the client, I can provide psychotherapy or coaching for this population.

I make a point of working collaboratively with all of my clients in that I am an active participant during sessions and periodically solicit feedback about your experience of the therapy process. We will work together to decide, depending on your goal and the nature of your difficulties, whether a brief psychotherapy approach is best, or whether a more open-ended one would be appropriate. Brief psychotherapy, which usually lasts less than six months, works best when you feel relatively stable in your life and want to focus on one specific area of difficulty. Open-ended psychotherapy allows for a broader focus and a deeper level of exploration in which ample time is allowed for multiple themes to develop.

My approach to psychotherapy is consistently evolving, but my training has primarily been in the areas of cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychodynamic therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is based on the belief that our thoughts influence how we feel and how we act; therefore, therapy involves identifying negative or distorted thinking patterns that are causing painful emotions, challenging them and coming up with healthier ways of responding to situations. Psychodynamic therapy is based on the belief that who we are now can be strongly influenced by our past experiences, as far back as childhood. Discovering these links to the past can help a person heal the present. I am also integrating principles of mindfulness meditation into therapy where appropriate.