Catherine Riskie, LMSW
Therapist at Bethesda Counseling Services
I take a collaborative and empathic approach to therapy, joining with clients to work towards their stated goals. I believe in using a strengths-based model, relying primarily on CBT for working with children, teens, and adults around symptoms of anxiety, depression, and related problems. When using CBT, I use a combination of techniques such as exposures and behavioral activation to help clients work incrementally towards their goals. I also offer parent training, using Parent Management Training (PMT) or Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to support families coping with defiant youth and Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) to support parents coping with anxious youth.
I have completed CBT trainings for anxiety and depression with adults at The Beck Institute. I enjoy working with teens and adults coping with anxiety, depression, and life transitions and have worked with college students and adults in a college training clinic. I received training with youth through an internship at Yale Child Study Center Program for Anxiety Disorders. In addition to conducting assessments, I was trained in the use of CBT for youth with anxiety and in the use of Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) to reduce parental accommodation of children’s anxiety symptoms. Subsequently, I completed field placements at The Lab School of Washington, working with teens who had learning differences and at Alvord, Baker, and Associates, co-leading various Resilience Builder Groups across youth of different ages. When not working, I enjoy traveling, hiking, photography, and playing board games (especially Scrabble).
Clinical Degree: Licensed master social worker (LMSW) and master in clinical psychology
Additional Trainings: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Complicated Grief Treatment, and the Resilience Builder Program (RBP).