Catherine Elzie, LCSW

Catherine Elzie is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) based in Oregon. She has 15 years of experience in mental health and long experience in substance abuse work. Catherine focuses on mood disorders, trauma, relationship concerns, and LGBTQ issues, and approaches each person with a direct, respectful style.

Catherine works collaboratively and treats clients as partners in care. She aims to be warm and nonjudgmental and will use humor when it fits the situation. She describes herself as body positive and uses a Healthy at Every Size approach to body and weight concerns.

Her practice emphasizes practical, skills-based work. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking and shift behavior. She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques to help with emotion regulation and committed action.

Catherine has experience helping people with post-traumatic stress, including childhood and generational trauma, and with sexual assault and abuse. She also supports people facing depression, bipolar mood challenges, and the strains that come from chronic illness and pain.

She brings experience with veteran and first responder issues and works to address cultural and minority stress, including prejudice and gender-related concerns. Catherine pairs problem-solving and symptom-focused strategies with attention to values and meaningful goals.

Sessions are offered in English and delivered online by video, phone, chat, or messaging. Practical next steps are simple: complete the short matching questionnaire and schedule a first appointment.

Online therapy using skills-based approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps people identify unhelpful thoughts and change patterns of behavior that keep problems going. It is practical and often focuses on small experiments and clear steps to feel better.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches people to notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that align with their values. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers concrete skills for managing strong emotions and improving relationships. Both approaches are useful for mood disorders and trauma-related difficulties.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has helped or not helped before. That collaborative process guides which tools and techniques are used in sessions.

Online care is delivered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to offer flexibility. Video helps with face-to-face interaction and exercises, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and chat or messaging is useful for brief check-ins or ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to use the right format for different tasks.