Meet Dr. Catherine
If you’re here, there’s a good chance you’re carrying more than most people realize.
I’m Dr. Catherine Schmidt, a licensed clinical psychologist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I help women move through some of life’s most emotionally demanding seasons with greater clarity, self-compassion, and resilience, and it’s been a privilege to have been doing this work for nearly 15 years.
My style is conversational and collaborative. While therapy can absolutely make space for grief, uncertainty, and charged feelings, I don’t believe it has to be cold or overly clinical. I find that laughter and moments of lightness are an integral part of healing and progress.
My approach combines professional expertise with personal understanding. Having navigated both secondary infertility and anxiety myself, I understand many of the challenges that bring women to therapy during these seasons.
Working Together
Starting therapy can feel like a big step! Especially if you’ve never done it before or you’re wondering whether it will actually help.
The process begins with a complimentary phone conversation. This quick 15 minute call helps both of us: it gives you the opportunity to share what you’re seeking support for and get any questions you have answered. And it gives me the opportunity to tell you a little bit about my practice and what working together would look like.
If we choose to move forward, we we will decide on a weekly time together to meet virtually. We will spend the first few sessions developing a deeper understanding of what you’re experiencing, what you hope will be different, and what meaningful progress would look like in your life.
From there, our work becomes both supportive and intentional. We’ll create space to process difficult emotions, understand patterns that may be keeping you stuck, and develop practical ways to move forward. Throughout our time together, we’ll continue returning to the goals we’ve identified together, making sure our work remains focused on what matters most to you.
My goal is for therapy to feel like a place where you can be honest, feel genuinely understood, learn effective tools for lasting change, and know that someone is helping you hold both hope and direction when things feel particularly difficult.
Therapy with a purpose
One of the most common concerns women have before starting therapy is wondering how long it will take, and how will I know if it’s working? It all feels really vulnerable and new…Totally valid concern.
In our early work together, we’ll identify what you hope will be different in your life and how we’ll know you are making progress. Those goals become a touchstone throughout treatment, helping us stay focused on what matters most while adapting to life’s inevitable twists and turns. I believe your time, energy, and resources are valuable- and if we aren’t seeing forward movement towards these goals within the first month or two we will check in and discuss this together.
In our work together you don’t have to choose between processing your emotions and moving forward. They actually go hand in hand.
When things feel particularly heavy, part of my role is to help hold the hope, perspective, and roadmap until you’re able to reconnect with them yourself.
Beyond the Therapy Room
An aspect of this work I love is that it isn’t separate from my life- it's an extension of the values that matter most to me. I'm happiest with my husband and our two children, spending time in nature, reading and finding beauty in every day moments. I love flowers, pop culture, traveling, design (everything from the texture of a blouse to the architecture of a building), learning and baking.
At its heart, therapy isn't just about feeling less anxious. It's about creating more space for the people, places, and experiences that make life feel meaningful. It's a privilege to help my clients move toward this kind of rich and fulfilling life.