Cate Hartnett is a Social Work Fellow at the Complex Trauma Treatment Center Boston. She earned her Master of Social Work from Boston College with a specialization in trauma. Cate is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and her clinical work focuses on supporting individuals healing from complex trauma, including attachment trauma and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD).
Previous clinical experience includes providing individual therapy, crisis intervention, and psychosocial assessments with young adults in a college counseling setting, where she supported students navigating trauma histories, anxiety, relational challenges, and identity development. Cate has also worked extensively with youth, adults and families in community-based mental health settings, supporting individuals and families in building emotional regulation skills, strengthening interpersonal functioning, and accessing supportive resources. Earlier in her training, Cate provided trauma-informed peer support to individuals experiencing severe mental health challenges in a crisis stabilization setting.
Cate has a particular interest in working with the effects of chronic and interpersonal trauma across development. Cate’s work often includes helping clients understand and navigate trauma-related dissociation, emotional dysregulation, and difficulties with trust and connection. Through trauma-informed and evidence-based approaches—including EMDR—she supports clients in building greater internal stability, strengthening affect regulation, and safely processing traumatic memories over time. Cate approaches therapy with warmth, curiosity, and respect for each client’s resilience and personal experiences. She strives to create a therapeutic environment that feels safe, collaborative, and attuned, allowing clients to explore difficult experiences at a manageable pace while reconnecting with their strengths and capacity for meaningful change.