- Client-centered
- Practical skills
- Values-focused
About Leslie
Leslie Cates is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in Louisiana who helps people facing stress and anxiety. She brings ten years of experience to sessions and focuses on practical steps people can use right away. Leslie aims to create a respectful, compassionate space where each person sets their goals and pace.
Her approach is client-centered, which means clients guide the focus and Leslie adapts the conversation and plan to fit individual needs. She uses strength-based and solutions-focused methods to help people move toward clearer thinking and calmer responses. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy are part of her usual toolkit.
Leslie has worked with people dealing with depression, addiction, grief, trauma, and the effects of abusive relationships. She also supports those coping with self-esteem struggles, relationship concerns, sleep problems, anger, and major life changes. Her background includes using strategies from Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy to help manage intense emotions and process difficult memories.
Sessions are practical and interactive. Leslie emphasizes changing unhelpful thoughts and building willingness to act in line with personal values. She avoids stigmatizing labels and treats each person with sensitivity and respect.
Leslie earned a Master of Arts in Counseling in December 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. She invites people ready to take steps toward healing to reach out and begin the process.
Her approach is client-centered, which means clients guide the focus and Leslie adapts the conversation and plan to fit individual needs. She uses strength-based and solutions-focused methods to help people move toward clearer thinking and calmer responses. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy are part of her usual toolkit.
Leslie has worked with people dealing with depression, addiction, grief, trauma, and the effects of abusive relationships. She also supports those coping with self-esteem struggles, relationship concerns, sleep problems, anger, and major life changes. Her background includes using strategies from Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy to help manage intense emotions and process difficult memories.
Sessions are practical and interactive. Leslie emphasizes changing unhelpful thoughts and building willingness to act in line with personal values. She avoids stigmatizing labels and treats each person with sensitivity and respect.
Leslie earned a Master of Arts in Counseling in December 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. She invites people ready to take steps toward healing to reach out and begin the process.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Relationship issuesFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseSleeping disordersAnger managementCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCompassion fatigueADHD
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAging and geriatric issuesAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeBody imageCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesDependent personalityDissociationDrug and alcohol addictionEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsForgivenessGuilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingImpulsivityIsolation / lonelinessMood disordersObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPhobiasPost-traumatic stressProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSmoking / vaping cessationSocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems
Experience
10+ years
Credentials
Louisiana
Languages
English
How Leslie Uses Therapy Approaches Online
Leslie commonly draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in her work. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on noticing thoughts without getting stuck in them and taking actions that match important personal values. It can help with anxiety, stress, and big life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at unhelpful thought patterns and behavior habits and teaches clearer thinking and practical skills to reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Leslie will talk with the client about their needs, goals, and preferences and suggest strategies that fit. Together they decide what methods to try and adjust those methods based on what helps over time.
Please confirm the session formats offered before booking, as specific formats were not listed in the biography. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life by reducing travel time, allowing quicker check-ins between commitments, or offering shorter sessions when that works better. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT and CBT exercises to work in remote sessions so clients can practice skills and track progress between meetings.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Leslie commonly address?
Leslie works with stress and anxiety as well as depression, addictions, grief, self-esteem, trauma and abuse, sleep problems, anger, career changes, and related concerns.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is warm and interactive, using a client-centered approach where the client sets goals and the therapist tailors sessions to those goals.
What experience does she bring to sessions?
She has ten years of counseling experience and has assisted people with childhood trauma, abusive relationships, and complex emotional struggles.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, practicing in Louisiana.
Can sessions be conducted in other languages?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Please confirm current session options before booking, as the biography does not list specific formats.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.