About Me

Cathleen Stafford attended the University of Southern California and graduated with a major in Psychology and a minor in Sociology, class of 1992. She then obtained her Masters of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego, class of 1994. She has been licensed to practice Marriage and Family Therapy in the State of California since 2000.

Cathleen worked as an intern at the Child Guidance Clinic at Children’s Hospital in San Diego, CA before leaving for the East Coast for four years while her husband attended medical school. During her time in Washington D.C. Cathleen worked in private practice as well as for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Additionally, Cathleen worked for Second Genesis and Alternative House, both of which are residential treatment facilities for adults and adolescents. In 1998, Cathleen moved back to San Diego. Cathleen then worked for Mental Health Systems within the Family Forces program.  She worked with school-aged and adolescents in middle school who were children of active duty military parents struggling with a plethora of individual and family issues accompanied by separations and long deployments.

In 2012, after fourteen years in San Diego, Cathleen along with her husband and two sons, returned to their home town of Santa Rosa to be closer to family. Cathleen enjoyed working at Guilford Family Counseling before deciding to enter into private practice after the Tubbs fire destroyed their home. Cathleen and her family relocated to Healdsburg, California.  She is excited to turn this disastrous, unplanned event in their life into an opportunity to grow a private practice in her new found hometown!

Outside of the office Cathleen enjoys running, cycling, hiking and swimming and is a 3-time Ironman Triathlon finisher.  She enjoys participating in endurance sports and has a love for the outdoors. Cathleen finds connecting with nature is a way to ground herself, recharge, and renew in order to help others.