Leslie Cates, LPC
Warm, practical counseling focused on personal stories
Details
| Name | Leslie Cates |
|---|---|
| Credentials | LPC |
| Based in | Louisiana |
| Licensed in | Louisiana |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 10 |
About Leslie
Leslie Cates is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana with ten years of experience. She greets new clients with a warm, interactive style and focuses on practical steps that feel doable. Leslie aims to create a respectful, compassionate space where people set their own goals and steer their own progress.
Leslie uses a client-centered approach that keeps the person in charge of direction and pace. She works from a strengths-based and solutions-focused perspective, helping people notice what already works and build on it.
Background and approach
She draws on Narrative ideas to help clients reframe personal stories and see different possibilities. Her practice combines Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to shift unhelpful thoughts and encourage purposeful action. Leslie also uses Dialectical Behavior Therapy strategies to teach skills for handling strong emotions.
These methods are adapted to each person’s needs rather than applied the same way to everyone. Leslie has supported people dealing with depression, anxiety, stress, grief, and major life changes. She has experience addressing addictions, trauma and abuse, relationship strain, self-esteem concerns, and caregiver stress.
She also works with issues such as chronic illness, body image, and attention challenges. Therapy with Leslie is collaborative and practical. She helps clarify goals, tries different ways of working, and focuses on small changes that add up.
The process is paced to each person’s comfort and readiness.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Grief among the things Leslie works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Sleeping disorders
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Dissociation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Leslie among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Leslie among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Leslie among the ways she works.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Listed by Leslie among the ways she works.
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT): Listed by Leslie among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Leslie among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Leslie among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Leslie among the ways she works.
- Somatic Therapy: Listed by Leslie among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Leslie among the ways she works.
- Internal Family Systems: Listed by Leslie among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Leslie directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Leslie directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
Practical approaches for online care
Leslie draws on Narrative Therapy to help people rewrite parts of their life story that feel stuck or limiting. This approach focuses on the stories people tell about themselves and looks for alternative, more helpful ways to describe what has happened.She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which combines acceptance of difficult feelings with committed action toward personal values. ACT can help when anxiety, depression, or painful memories make it hard to move forward. Leslie pairs ACT with Client-Centered techniques that prioritize the client's goals and pace, making sessions responsive to each person's needs.
Deciding which method to use is collaborative. Leslie will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't helped in the past. Together they try approaches and adjust as needed so the work fits the person's life and values.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to increase flexibility. Video is useful for deeper conversation and skill teaching, phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited, and messaging or chat works for brief check-ins or between-session support. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into busy days and to keep continuity when schedules change.
Common questions about this listing
What kinds of concerns does Leslie help with?
Leslie works with issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, grief, addictions, self-esteem, relationship and family concerns, trauma and abuse, sleep problems, anger, career transitions, bipolar disorder, compassion fatigue, and ADHD.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
She uses a warm, interactive, client-centered style that focuses on strengths and practical solutions. Sessions emphasize collaboration, small steps, and skills people can use between appointments.
What is her professional background?
Leslie has ten years of counseling experience and completed a Master of Arts in Counseling in December 2016. Her work has included supporting people who experienced childhood trauma and abusive relationships.
Where is Leslie licensed to practice?
Leslie holds the LPC credential and is licensed in Louisiana.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different schedules and preferences.
How are sessions priced?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Leslie are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Leslie where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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