30 + Years Experience

RN & LPC Grief Counselor with a Specialty Areas in Trauma , Abuse, Anxiety Disorders & Women's Issues 

Grief, Trauma, and a Body That Won’t “Bounce Back"

Cathy Armstrong MS, LPC-S, RN, F-NBCCH, OIM 

Complicated Grief, Complex Trauma, OCD, Panic, & Other Anxiety Disorders, Women's Issues 

Call : (361) 688-8200

6901 Holly Road  

Corpus Christi, Texas 78414

Welcome! I'm Cathy Armstrong, nurse, therapist, & ordained interfaith minister here to help high‑functioning women in Corpus & across Texas who are carrying long‑term grief, relational trauma, generational trauma, and health struggles that don’t show up neatly on a checklist. I have both secular and non-secular education and include  spiritual counseling upon request.

Together, we work at the intersection of nervous system, hormones, sleep, and soul so you’re not just coping—you’re slowly rebuilding a life that actually fits who you are now.

In Corpus Christi, many trauma and grief listings focus on brief, protocol‑driven CBT or EMDR. At Empower Her Wellness, I also offer a slower, body‑honoring alternative.

Concerns & Challenges I Help Clients With

I work with individuals and couples facing a wide range of emotional, psychological, and trauma-related concerns. My approach integrates counseling, mindfulness, and body-based awareness to support healing and resilience.

Trauma & PTSD

• Complex Trauma and PTSD

• Childhood trauma, abuse, and neglect

• Birth trauma and traumatic medical experiences

• Trauma related to accidents, injuries, or natural disasters

• Combat and military trauma

• Trauma recovery after crime or violence

• Dissociation and attachment-related trauma

Anxiety, Panic & Stress

•  Generalized anxiety and chronic stress

• Panic attacks

• Performance anxiety (public speaking, athletics, creative performance)

• Phobias and fear-based responses

• Stress-related physical symptoms and trauma-related illness

Depression & Mood Concerns

•Depression and emotional overwhelm

• Postpartum depression and adjustment after childbirth

• Loss of motivation, burnout, and emotional exhaustion

Grief, Loss & Life Transitions

• Bereavement and complicated grief

• Life transitions and personal crises

• Healing after significant loss

Relationship & Intimacy Concerns

• Couples counseling and relationship challenges

• Attachment issues and relational trauma

• Sexual concerns and intimacy difficulties

Medical & Health-Related Stress

• Cancer diagnosis and treatment support

• Recovery from surgery or major medical procedures

• Coping with injury, illness, and physical trauma

• Emotional support for long-term medical conditions

 

Conscious Awareness in the Treatment of Trauma & Grief Recovery

Dear Prospective Client,

Instead of asking you to fit a protocol, I pay close attention to how grief and trauma are already showing up in your body: sleep, labs, hormones, autoimmune patterns, chronic pain, and the way your nervous system never quite settles, even when you are “resting.”

I have additional training and experience as a Registered Nurse and Ordained Minister in addition to being an LPC, which means our work together can hold medical trauma, spiritual crisis, reproductive grief, and relational harm in the same room, without fragmenting you into separate “issues” for separate providers. We move at the pace of your actual body, not a treatment manual, weaving somatic awareness, contemplative practices, and grounded psychoeducation so your system can slowly trust that it is no longer in the state of emergency.

When Grief Is Natural — But Painful

Grief may include:

• Waves of sadness

• Longing or yearning

• Sleep disruption

• Changes in appetite

• Difficulty concentrating

• Emotional triggers around memories or anniversaries

These experiences are normal responses to attachment loss. Therapy offers support, stabilization, and space for meaning-making.

 

When Grief Becomes Traumatic

Sometimes loss is accompanied by:

• Intrusive images

• Medical or ICU trauma

• Sudden or violent death

• Guilt or “unfinished business”

• Panic or nervous system hyperarousal

• Emotional shutdown or numbness

In these cases, trauma can block the natural grieving process. We first work gently with nervous system regulation and trauma processing so grief can move again.

 

My Integrative Approach to Grief & Trauma

 

I draw from multiple evidence-based and integrative approaches, including:

• Attachment-based grief therapy

• Trauma-informed counseling

• Somatic and polyvagal-informed techniques

• Clinical hypnosis for safe reprocessing and symbolic closure

• Mindfulness-based emotional regulation

• Meaning-centered and existential, Jungian informed approaches

As a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and Registered Nurse, I integrate psychological, physiological, and relational understanding to support whole-person healing.

 

Whole Person Healing and Emotional Support 

• The Loss of a Loved One 

• Pet Loss

• Healing the Wounded Healer 

•Trauma Revovery

• The Loss of a Relationship 

• Imposter's Syndrome 

• Inner Child Healing

• Unexpected Health Challenges 

• Career Loss

• Life Transitions 

• Motherhood Challenges 

• Pregnancy, Birth, Postpartum Depression and Anxiety 

• The Loss of Self

• Menopause 

• Family Estrangement 

You Don't Have to Grieve Alone

Grief is not just about death. It's the profound response to any significant loss that changes the landscape of your life.

As women, we often carry our grief silently, continuing to care for others while our own hearts are breaking. You may feel pressure to "move on" or "be strong" when what you really need is permission to feel, space to heal, and someone who truly understands.

Learn Why So Many Texas Women Chose to Work With Cathy Armstrong

Because lots of women living with trauma or grief find themselves stuck in survival patterns — experiencing persistent anxiety, emotional reactivity, overthinking, or numbness. You are not alone having these responses and they are are not signs weaknesses. They are protective adaptations of your nervous system.

Your healing journey begins when you develop the ability to observe your internal experience rather than be ruled by it.

In my work at Empower Her Wellness Center in Corpus Christi, I integrate contemplative awareness practices with trauma-informed psychotherapy. Clients learn how to:

• Recognize nervous system activation in real time

• Notice thoughts without becoming defined by them

• Shift from fear-based reactivity into grounded response

• Build self-compassion instead of self-critic

My approach is not about bypassing pain or minimizing trauma. It is about strengthening your capacity to witness emotions safely so your body and brain can reorganize toward regulation and clarity.

Awareness is not some kind of abstract spirituality. It is a practical, evidence-aligned skill that restores choice, stability, and emotional resilience.

Supporting Healing, Resilience, and Emotional Well-Being

For Individuals, Couples, and Families Across Texas