Catherine Thornber, MA, LPCC, RYT
I believe the quality of our intimate relationships shapes the quality of our lives - more than any title, income, or accomplishment.
I work with individuals and couples who are capable, thoughtful, and often successful in their professional worlds - yet feel strain, distance, or quiet dissatisfaction in their closest relationships. Many of my clients are used to being the competent one, the steady one, & the one others rely on. But love, sex, and family require a different kind of strength.
The conversations that matter most are often the ones that go unspoken. The resentment that quietly accumulates. The sexual disconnection that becomes routine. The loneliness inside a marriage that appears stable from the outside. The fear of destabilizing everything by finally saying what is true.
This is the territory I specialize in.
My work centers on couples, intimacy, sexual connection, family dynamics, and the relational patterns that shape them. I help partners rebuild trust, develop emotional safety, restore desire, and learn how to engage conflict without eroding the foundation of the relationship. I support individuals in understanding how stress, high expectations, or early relational experiences show up in their current partnerships.
Relationships are not self-sustaining simply because two people care about each other. They require structure, skill, and intentionality — especially when ambition, parenting, wealth, or leadership add complexity.
My approach integrates relationship science, trauma-informed somatic work, and direct, strategic dialogue. I value warmth, but also clarity. Compassion, but also accountability. Insight that leads to measurable change.
I maintain a focused caseload to ensure depth, continuity, and discretion. The work we do here is deliberate. It is not about endlessly revisiting the past; it is about building relationships that can sustain love, ambition, parenthood, friendship, and desire over time.
If you are ready to address what is hardest to talk about — and most worth getting right — I welcome a consultation.
“If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can’t survive.”
-Brené Brown
If You’d Like to Work Together
Taking the leap to start therapy can feel daunting, but it’s also a courageous step toward the life and relationships you truly desire. If you’re ready to explore what’s holding you back from being fully seen and embraced by those you love - or if you simply want to understand yourself better - I’m here to support you.
Couples: I will guide you through a data-driven & evidence-based approach to couples counseling. You and your partner will take a series of assessments and be given results reports after each one. We will work together based on your results on paper, what I see in the office, and your requests for treatment. Within your portal, I’ll assign you individualized homework & track your progress. Information you will receive includes ratios of positive to negative interactions (in and out of conflict), impact of flooding on conflict (tested through heart rate monitors), quality of friendship on sex life, & attachment styles.
Individuals: As a trauma-informed relationship & sex therapist, with a pre-master’s background in substance abuse IOP treatment, support groups for neurodivergence, and eldercare, you’re welcome to explore all facets of your personality, past, present, and future. You are welcome here, & you are not too much. All issues will be met with compassion and respect, regardless of whether you respect those parts of yourself.
Training, Certifications, & Affiliations
Degrees
M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Naropa University
B.A. Cross-Cultural Psychology (Major), Communication (Minor)
Couples & Sex Therapy Training
Gottman Method Couples Therapy: Level II training, Gottman Institute
Gottman Method Couples Therapy: Level I training, Gottman Institute
Therapy for Partner Aggression & Abuse, Gottman Institute
Lessons in Love Leader Training, Gottman Institute
The Art & Science of Relationships: Understanding Human Needs, University of Toronto
Two-Year Couples & Sex Therapy Certification, Sexual Health Alliance (enrolled)
Two-Year Sex Therapy Certification, Sexual Health Alliance (enrolled)
Two-Year Sex Educator Certification, Sexual Health Alliance (enrolled)
Internal Family Sytems (IFS) to Advance Trauma Therapy with Couples & Families, IFS Institute
Trauma & Mental Health Training
Sensorimotor Therapy for Trauma Level 1, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute
EMDR Institute Fundamental Training: Adults, Teens, and Children (enrolled)
Sensorimotor Fundamentals, Pat Ogden
Identifying Early Signs of Psychosis in Adolescents & Young Adults, Stanford University Continuing Studies
DBT for Clinicians: 15 Core Techniques to Improve Emotional Regulation & Manage Distress, Alexa Mulee
Certified Attachment & Personality Patterns Specialist (CAPPS): Clinical Integrations for Trauma, Anxiety, Attachment Insecurity, Relational Distress, Dan Siegal (enrolled)
Internal Family Systems (IFS) & Diversity & Inclusion, IFS Institute
Coaching for Self-Leadership: An Introduction to Internal Family Systems, IFS Institute
Clinical Ethics Training
Ethics in Practice, Online Specialty Training Series, National Association of Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC)
Boundaries & Dual Relationships in Clinical Practice: Ethical & Risk Management Challenges, Frederic G. Reamer
The Body Beyond Therapy
Peak Performance Neuroscience Coach Certification, Flow Research Collective
Certified Health Coach, Institute for Integrative Nutrition
200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200)
Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training 200-Hour, Centered Yoga Institute
Reiki I, Reiki Colorado
Authentic Movement Facilitator
Power of Awareness, Jack Kornfield & Tara Brach
Families & Adolescents
Teen Success: Cultivating Purpose & Achievement, Gottman Institute
The Secret Life of Teens, Gottman Institute
Science of the Teenage Mind, Gottman Institute
Emotion Coaching: The Heart of Relating to Teens and Tweens, Gottman Institute
Identifying Early Signs of Psychosis in Adolescents & Young Adults, Stanford University Continuing Studies
What is Trust-Based Relational Intervention?, Families Are Forever
Clinical Affiliations & Memberships
American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists
American Psychological Association
Western Psychological Association
American Counseling Association
Colorado Counseling Association
Association for Addiction Professionals
Nonclinical Post-Grad Training
Certificate in Forensic Identification, Ecomuseum de Cavallaria
Augment MBA, Augment
Purpose MBA, Jay Shetty Certification School
AI for Everyone, DeepLearning.AI
Introduction to Social Media Marketing, Meta
Meisner Acting with the Body, Chris Thatcher Acting Studio
Improv Comedy Level I & II: Improv Boulder
Creative Writing, Stanford Continuing Studies
Introduction to Marketing, University of Pennsylvania
Certified Life Purpose Coach, Transformative Services
Let’s work together.
Send me your info, and we can get started with a free consultation. I look forward to connecting for therapy, coaching, or speaking engagements.