About Carolyn
Carolyn Cates is a licensed clinical social worker with 19 years of experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, addiction, and challenges with self-esteem. Carolyn writes in plain terms and focuses on practical steps to help people move forward.
She believes people know their own stories and brings a strengths-based approach to sessions. That means identifying what already helps and building on it. She listens for patterns that keep someone stuck and suggests small changes that can make daily life easier.
How Carolyn works
Carolyn has guided people through major life changes and parenting stresses. She also addresses relationship conflict, family problems, and issues tied to trauma and abuse. Her practice includes support for mood conditions such as bipolar disorder and for compassion fatigue experienced by caregivers.
Her work often involves talking through difficult feelings, developing coping skills, and setting realistic next steps. Carolyn uses techniques that are supported by research and adapts them to each person’s needs. Sessions are practical, with clear goals and follow-up ideas to try between meetings.
Based in Florida, Carolyn offers sessions in English and communicates in straightforward language. She aims to make the process approachable so people can focus on what matters most to them.
What Carolyn works with
The areas below are the ones Carolyn selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Bipolar disorder
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trauma and abuse
- Traumatic brain injury
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 19 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Florida |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Evidence-informed approaches for online care
Carolyn uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on helping people manage symptoms and build useful skills. One common approach emphasizes behavioral strategies and skills training to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms by changing routines and practicing new ways of coping. Another approach targets grief and loss by helping people process emotions, create manageable goals, and preserve meaningful memories while learning daily coping practices.Choosing the right method is a collaborative process. Carolyn works with each person to identify goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped before. Together they trial approaches, adapt techniques, and check progress so the plan fits the person’s life and circumstances.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to offer flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation when interaction matters most. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Chat and messaging support shorter check-ins, ongoing encouragement, or brief skill practice between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule and to keep continuity during life transitions.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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