Introducing Catherine Howson: a compassionate clinical supervisor with OntarioSupervision.ca
OntarioSupervision.ca is delighted to introduce Catherine Howson, MA, RP, CCAC as our newest clinical supervisor. Catherine has spent more than two decades working in social services and has been practicing psychotherapy since 2005. Since 2012 she has supervised clinicians and meets the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and Yorkville University requirements for clinical supervisors. Colleagues and supervisees describe Catherine as warm, supportive and collaborative; her intuitive ability to blend compassion with practical feedback makes her a trusted mentor for early‑career psychotherapists and seasoned clinicians alike.
Catherine’s story is as diverse as the clients she has served. She began her career in community agencies and employee assistance programs, providing short‑term counselling and crisis intervention. Later she established a thriving private practice, offering individual, couple and family therapy, and she holds the Canadian Certified Addiction Counsellor (CCAC) designation along with specialized training in addictions, trauma and couples work. Catherine is passionate about nurturing new therapists and is widely recognized for her ability to create a supportive learning environment where supervisees can ask questions, reflect on their practice and grow with confidence.
After introducing Catherine, it’s helpful to understand the framework within which she works. Clinical supervision plays a central role in the development of competent psychotherapists. The CRPO defines clinical supervision as a contractual relationship that promotes the supervisee’s professional growth, enhances safe and effective use of self in the therapeutic relationship and safeguards client wellbeing. Supervision may be offered individually, in dyads or in groups; peer or group supervision counts when it is formal, scheduled and includes at least one qualified clinical supervisor. Qualifying registrants must complete at least 100 hours of clinical supervision to become registered, and ongoing supervision supports continuous professional growth.
To book a free 15-minute consultation with Catherine click here
Extensive experience across settings
Catherine has worked in non‑profit agencies, employee assistance programs (EAPs) and private practice. Her early work in social services gave her experience with short‑term counselling and crisis intervention, while her private practice has allowed her to support individuals, couples and families through longer‑term therapy. Catherine holds a Canadian Certified Addiction Counsellor (CCAC) designation and has specialized training in addictions counselling, couples therapy, trauma treatment, cognitive processing therapy and critical incident response. Her areas of practice include anxiety and mood disorders, grief, stress, addiction, parenting, relationship difficulties and trauma. She is passionate about mentoring new therapists and provides clinical supervision to master’s students and qualifying psychotherapists.
Integrative, evidence‑informed therapeutic approach
Catherine draws on multiple therapeutic models to support clients and supervisees. Her practice is person‑centred and humanistic, an approach pioneered by Carl Rogers that views people as inherently motivated toward growth and emphasizes empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard. She also employs cognitive‑behavioural therapy (CBT), a structured, time‑limited modality that helps clients identify the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and develop adaptive strategies to manage depression, anxiety, PTSD and other conditions. Catherine integrates Adlerian or psychodynamic perspectives when appropriate; Adlerian therapy encourages clients to overcome discouraging beliefs by focusing on strengths, family dynamics and social context. She incorporates solution‑focused brief therapy (SFBT) techniques—constructing clear goals, identifying exceptions and leveraging clients’ resources—because research shows SFBT effectively facilitates change by focusing on solutions rather than problems. This integrative orientation allows her to tailor supervision and therapy to the developmental needs of each supervisee and client.
Advanced supervision training
To provide high‑quality supervision, Catherine has completed more than 30 hours of specialized training beyond her master’s degree. She completed Clinical Supervision within McMaster University’s Clinical Behavioural Sciences program. She also undertook the Clinical Supervision Foundations course offered by the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network, a 14‑hour self‑paced program that introduces essential terms, topics and resources for clinical supervisors. Recognizing the importance of supporting supervisees who work with trauma survivors, she studied Trauma‑Informed Supervision with SafeGuards Training; this course teaches supervisors to integrate trauma‑informed principles into supervision, examine approaches to supervision and performance reviews and strengthen teams’ ability to implement trauma‑informed care while addressing vicarious trauma and burnout. Catherine also completed Relational Approaches to Clinical Supervision through Adler University, drawing on relational supervision models that emphasize attunement, mutual engagement and attention to diversity; relational supervision invites supervisors to build collaborative relationships, explore emotions and attend to shame dynamics so that growth can occur.
To book a free 15-minute consultation with Catherine click here
A warm, collaborative supervision style
The CRPO notes that clinical supervision is intended to enhance supervisees’ professional competence, support the safe and effective use of self and safeguard client well‑being. Catherine’s supervision philosophy aligns with these principles. She views supervision as an ongoing partnership that balances education, reflection and consultation. Catherine provides a developmental model of supervision—offering more guidance to novice clinicians and progressively encouraging autonomy for experienced therapists. Her anti‑oppressive lens acknowledges how culture, age, gender identity, sexual orientation and trauma history shape supervisees’ experiences. Supervisees describe her as warm, supportive and collaborative, appreciating her ability to create a psychologically safe space where mistakes can be explored without judgment. Whether you are navigating first sessions or refining advanced skills, Catherine’s empathy and humour will help you build confidence and competence.
Group, dyadic and individual supervision options
Catherine offers multiple supervision formats to meet diverse needs. Group supervision fosters peer learning and shared problem‑solving; Catherine facilitates two virtual groups via Zoom each week: Tuesdays from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST and Thursdays from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EST (maximum eight participants). Group supervision counts toward CRPO supervision hours when at least one member meets the definition of a clinical supervisor. For clinicians seeking more individualized attention or focusing on sensitive cases, Catherine provides dyadic supervision and individual supervision sessions. Dyadic supervision pairs two supervisees with Catherine for 50‑minute meetings, offering both collaborative discussion and individual feedback. Individual supervision allows for deeper exploration of therapeutic dilemmas and professional development goals. Fees reflect the level of support: Catherine charges $180 per 50‑minute individual supervision session and $90 per person for dyadic supervision. Reduced fees are available for interns, and sessions may be eligible for reimbursement through extended health benefits.
Catherine also offers a free 15‑minute consultation to help potential supervisees determine whether her style and expertise align with their needs. During the consultation, you can ask questions about supervision goals, CRPO requirements or specific practice challenges. If you decide to move forward, Catherine will work with you to develop a supervision plan that meets your professional requirements and personal learning objectives.
To book a free 15-minute consultation with Catherine click here
Why choose Catherine Howson as your clinical supervisor?
Choosing a supervisor is a significant decision that shapes your professional identity. Catherine offers a rare combination of breadth and depth: she has extensive practice experience, rigorous training in multiple therapeutic modalities and advanced supervision coursework. She meets CRPO and Yorkville University criteria for clinical supervisors, holds the Canadian Certified Addiction Counsellor designation and has supervised clinicians from diverse backgrounds since 2012. Her integrative orientation ensures that supervision sessions are tailored to your theoretical preferences and client population, while her trauma‑informed and relational approach fosters safety and growth. Whether you are seeking clinical supervision, CRPO clinical supervision, group supervision, dyad supervision or Ontario clinical supervision, Catherine’s expertise and compassionate style will support your development.
Get started
Catherine is currently accepting new supervisees for virtual group supervision on Tuesdays (11 AM – 1 PM EST) and Thursdays (6 PM – 8 PM EST). She also schedules individual and dyadic supervision sessions throughout the week. If you are a new graduate, RP(Q) or seasoned therapist seeking clinical supervision that is evidence‑informed, relational and culturally responsive, we encourage you to contact Catherine. You can book your free 15‑minute consultation by emailing info@howson.ca or visiting her profile on OntarioSupervision.ca. Catherine looks forward to supporting you in developing your therapeutic skills, deepening your self‑awareness and meeting your professional registration requirements.
References
Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC). (2024). Clinical supervision foundations course (Revised ed.). Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network. This self‑paced course introduces terms, topics and resources essential to clinical supervision and offers 14 hours of continuing education.
College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). (2026). Professional practice standards for registered psychotherapists: Clinical supervision. The CRPO defines clinical supervision as a contractual relationship that promotes professional growth, safe and effective use of self and client well‑being, and notes that group supervision counts when it is formal and includes a qualified supervisor. Qualifying registrants must complete at least 100 hours of supervision to become registered.
Gilbert, M. (n.d.). Relational clinical supervision [Website]. Retrieved from Gestalt UK. This resource describes relational supervision as focusing on the co‑creation of therapeutic situations, attending to emotions and diversity, and building a supervisory relationship where growth occurs through mutual engagement and safety.
Mayo Clinic. (2023). Cognitive behavioral therapy. Mayo Clinic Patient Care & Health Information. This overview explains that CBT helps people recognize and change negative thinking and behavior patterns, is time‑limited and effective for conditions such as depression and anxiety.
McCrae, N., & Burns, T. (2022). Solution‑focused brief therapy: A conceptual review. Frontiers in Psychiatry. The review notes that SFBT focuses on the present and future rather than problem analysis, uses techniques such as the miracle question and scaling, and has strong evidence for promoting change.
StatPearls. (2022a). Adlerian therapy. In StatPearls [Internet]. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Adlerian therapy encourages clients to modify discouraging beliefs by focusing on strengths, family dynamics and social context.
StatPearls. (2022b). Person-centered therapy. In StatPearls [Internet]. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Person-centered therapy views clients as experts of their own lives and emphasizes empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard.
SafeGuards Training. (2026). Trauma-informed supervision [Course description]. The course guides supervisors to integrate trauma-informed principles into supervision, explore approaches to supervision and performance reviews and address vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout.
YourTherapist.ca. (2026). Catherine Howson, RP, clinical supervisor [Profile]. Catherine holds a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, is a registered member of the CRPO, has specialized training in addictions and trauma, and provides supervision to master’s students and qualifying psychotherapists
