I work as a trauma psychotherapist in the UK currently under the supervision of Dr. Janina Fisher, so please take my review as a customer experience as well as a peer professional. I was referred to Cathie by a Sensorimotor Psychotherapy instructor. Even though I'm a therapist I am always a bit hesitant with finding a new Therapist to go to, and Cathie immediately understood my issues on the first phone call. Our first session was by far one of the best sessions I have ever had as a client. I was able to access more than I have before, while also leaving the session feeling contained and able to go back out into the world, even after the work I did in our session. Our sessions were the most helpful thing for my PTSD, attachment injuries, and current symptoms (burnout, depression, nightmares, detached sense of self). She combines many theories and techniques, so the result is a very individualized session and treatment, as well as the possibility of treating many different issues at once. Most importantly to me, I referred many people to Cathie, and so far 3 of my friends have gone and the messages I have received have been amazing. They have been along the lines of "Cathie is amazing, thank you so much, I've never had therapy like this, our work was outstanding". As a therapist, I am often underwhelmed and defeated with my choices of decent let alone superior therapists with which I could refer people. I will continue to refer to Cathie and I would still be seeing her if I had not moved to England to work in a trauma center. I cannot emphasize enough how important her work is. If you are feeling stuck from the effects of trauma, childhood attachment injuries, and developmental wounds, Cathie is worth your time and money. If you're looking for greater access to the parts of yourself that conventional therapy rarely address, and if they do, take years to get to, please call her up. Tell her I sent you. read more

I found Cathie as I was hoping to receive EMDR treatment. She was in my network and seemed like a good fit. We worked together for several months, and it was a mixed experience -- and not totally due to Cathie. I was often exhausted (or, more likely, my brain was trying to tap out during difficult sessions). The issues with Cathie lay in her continual focus and negative responses to my having another therapist. She often tried to have me let go of her or severely compromise my schedule to see them on different days. She ended up stopping our sessions and cited this as one of the main problems, which wholly confused me, especially as she knew I had a therapist when we started. I also signed a contract that made it seem I couldn't terminate the sessions, but Cathie could. It also seems that she isn't a thoroughly experienced EMDR specialist. We began our sessions with my eyes open but, I later learned, that having your eyes closed is a requirement. She later received more training and we began what seem to be more accurate EMDR sessions. If I weren't paying at an incredibly affordable rate through my insurance I likely would've been more frustrated with it overall. I did have some really interesting experiences during sessions and feel that I learned some good things about myself and my history. It's likely Cathie would be better for someone who doesn't have a regular therapist and is interested in pursuing talk therapy with EMDR. read more

We established a very good rapport and she was both kind and professional. I think how you end up connecting with a therapist is the most important predictor of success. Given that that connection will of course be different for every person, I highly recommend Dr. Gum as a consummate professional and lovely human. read more

Cathie has been my peer and colleague for 7 years and I can only say positive things about her. During this time, I have had occasion both to observe and interact with Cathie in situations involving specialized training and clinical choices and find her skill and clinical judgment to be both very professional and clinically sharp. She brings the highest standard to her clinical judgment and it's always interlaced with her intelligence, humbleness and compassion. Additionally, on occasions when I have desired a colleague's opinion about a nuance with a client, my first choice is always Cathie, because I know that not only will I receive a very sound rendition of another clinician's clinical judgement but also a generous and thorough take of what I bring to her. Maryam H. read more

I consider myself very lucky that I met with Cathie as I was struggling with depression and anxiety. Cathie was my therapist for about four years, until I moved from LA. I was referred to her by the counseling center in my university. Cathie is an amazing therapist (before meeting Cathie I have been to a few therapists, but for some reason therapy did not work for me until then) She is also such a lovely, compassionate person. There were many times, right after our sessions, I found myself thinking how competent she is at what she does. Cathie is not only very hard working but also very talented. I wish I met her sooner because thanks to Cathie, I was able to better manage the symptoms of depression and start working on my doctoral dissertation which I was putting off for years. Finally I finished it and got my degree. Cathie was one of the key people in my life that made this possible. She helped me to find tools to deal with my issues, to get to know myself and become more resilient towards life's stresses. This all happened thanks to Cathie's sincere dedication to help me. We both worked very hard to develop tools that would help me manage stress and the symptoms of depression. She would listen to me so very carefully, she would think of various ways and techniques to deal with my issues, come up with new ideas. She would pay attention to me so much that she would remember about things about myself I told her years ago- things that I had forgotten. Most importantly, there were many, many instances where I saw how much she cared about helping me and my wellbeing. I am so grateful to her. It is truly wonderful for a person suffering from depression to see that another person truly cares about her and is working very hard and so diligently to help her. What worked for me in our sessions was her ability to understand the unique aspects of my personality and my issues.This may have been difficult since I come from a different country and very different culture but Cathie understood the aspects of my personality that was shaped in different culture. This individualized approach meant that she used and combined different techniques as I continued therapy and my needs changed over time. She was using different techniques in a flexible yet integrated way. Our sessions worked so well for me also because Cathie helped me to come up with some of the answers about myself I was looking for. She helped me develop ways to deal with my issues. We were like a team, working together. In this way, I was able to internalize the conclusions we drew from our discussions and integrate them to my daily life.Thanks to Cathie's help, the change I was looking for came from within and hence it was a long lasting one. Cathie explained to me to theories and techniques she was using as well. This helped me a lot in understanding what we were doing in therapy and how to make use of it. I am so glad that I have a chance to write about how wonderful Cathie is to people who are looking for a therapist. Meeting Cathie did help me get out of depression and lead a healthier and happier life, and I highly recommend anyone dealing with depression and anxiety, and other issues to meet with her. Everyone deserves to have a dedicated and talented therapist that would change their lives. read more

I can only say positive things about Cathie and my experiences with her. I didn't have much experience with therapy previously but I always felt lucky to have found such a good fit. She helped me emotionally through a very difficult time and was very professional, patient, understanding, and kind. My sessions with her stopped only because I moved away, but if I were to find myself back in Southern CA and looking for a therapist I would not hesitate to reach out to her again. read more

It is with an immense pleasure that I write about my work with Cathie Gum today! I am so grateful for what Cathie brought to and in my life that I am truly happy I have a way to share my experience through this review. My work with Cathie changed my life in many ways. I'm happier now, able to take care of myself, and I look and feel so much better. Though the process of EMDR was challenging and took time effort on my part, the work I did with Cathie was crucial--and it was worth it--because I can now stay more in the moment, and I realize that my life is about so much more than I thought it was. After my work with Cathie, I got closure on various aspects of my childhood and teenage years, which helped me release old memories. I was able to go back and look, and then let go. I now feel more attuned, more aware, and more prepared for the rest of my life. Where there was once only a punitive voice in my head telling me I deserved to be reprimanded, and where there were once only stuck feelings of fear and anxiety stuck in my stomach and invading my life, I now feel my heart. I now know I can--and I do--use my heart to bring kindness, thoughtfulness, and a generous, natural sharing of helpful knowledge--to myself and to others. My heart, head, and stomach now work together as a team. I could only have reached this happy and lasting state through hard, committed work, that both Cathie and I engaged in. I knew going in that sitting on Cathie's couch waiting for her to waive a magic wand was not going to get me better. I wanted to get the most out of therapy. So, I showed up, ready to do the work, brought myself to and engaged in the process. I continued my work between sessions and Cathie fully supported me in that exercise. I don't think I'm a particularly easy patient: I have A LOT of questions and don't hesitate to ask them. Cathie is very resourceful and adapts to the needs of her patient. We were a real team! Cathie is generous, trained, skilled, smart and very compassionate. I liked that she continued to further her training and knowledge. Thank you Cathie, I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you. read more

Dr. Gum is a compassionate, talented therapist. She employs a wide variety of techniques based on her patients' needs and is always willing to adjust her technique based on feedback from clients, so the process is collaborative. She is a great therapist and a wonderful person. HIGHLY recommend! read more

Cathie is a phenomenal therapist! I have referred her to at least six colleagues and friends over the years who cannot stop thanking me for putting them in touch with her. I have been to therapy twice before and had wonderful experiences but no one has been more effective at helping me get to the root of my issues and work through them as Cathie. Cathie empowers you to discover, come to terms with and then address issues head on. She "holds your hand" for as long as you need her but her goal is to get you on your feet and dealing with what life hands you from a place of strength and self-understanding. read more

Dr. Cathie Gum is a kind and caring psychologist. I recommend her services to anyone seeking therapy.