About Me

Heather Shaughnessy-Cato, MA
Wholehearted LLC

Mindful Self-Compassion Trained Teacher
MA, Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Certified Coach, Wellness & Health
Certified Designing Your Life Coach and Facilitator
Certified Yoga Teacher, 200 hr.

Navigating life’s ups and downs with compassion, wisdom and ease is my favorite topic to explore, study and teach. I have found immense healing, insight and wisdom in my own life through these embodied practices. I am delighted to also be positioned to teach these practices.

I offer one-on-one coaching and teaching, small-group classes and custom workshops. I hope to have the opportunity to work with you, and to see what we might discover!

Currently my offerings are virtual with some limited opportunities for in-person offerings in Brunswick, ME.

My approach

With a background in clinical mental health counseling, mind-body practices, I incorporate a range of evidence-based practices into my work. I have found tremendous value in embodied exploration— working with experiences with the mind, body, and heart.

As a teacher, facilitator, and coach, it is my role to share the wisdom of various practices, the science and research which support their efficacy, to encourage you to creatively engage with the practices, and to support you as you apply what you learn to navigate the realities in your own life.

Through my personal practice, I have an appreciation for varied challenges that present themselves along the path to transformation and change. I therefore tend to approach teaching with some humility, humor and an invitation to be honest about and learn from all of our experiences.

I continue to be inspired by the clients and students with whom I have worked — by the creative ways in which they applied wisdom teachings to get unstuck, to grow in their ability to love themselves, and to face heartbreaking realities with courage and resilience. One of the greatest benefits of teaching and continued practice is learning from and being inspired by others.

My background

Summary of my experience

Small business owner of Wholehearted LLC
- Coaching and teaching
Small business co-owner of Fieldbrook Advising
- Designing Your Life Facilitation
Yoga teacher
Previously served as a therapist (while under supervision during licensure process)
Previously served in Development/Fundraising roles within Higher Education and Arts & Culture

Education

M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Summa Cum Laude, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
B.A. in Psychology, B.A. in Sociology, State University of New York at Geneseo

Professional Certifications and Trainings

Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Trained Teacher
MSC for Healthcare Communities Trained Teacher
Certified Wellness and Health Coach
Certified Yoga Teacher (200 hour)
Certified Designing Your Life (DYL) Facilitator and Coach

Other areas of training and focus:

Compassion and Self-Compassion:

8-month Community for Deepening Practice – weekly sessions with a cohort of fellow MSC teachers to deepen self-compassion practice and teaching
The Way to Freedom: 37 Practices of the Bodhisattva with Pema Chödrön, Omega Institute

Mindfulness:

Graduate coursework on the integration of mindfulness into therapy for emotional wellbeing
Clinical internships included integration of mindfulness into therapy
Completed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Intensive, Omega Institute
Contemplative Practice in Higher Education, Omega Institute
Contemplative Psychotherapy (Mindfulness) with the Nalanda Institute — currently underway

Trauma-Informed Trainings:

Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training
Trauma-Informed Children’s Yoga Training
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

Meditation:

10-Day Vipassana Meditation Course (silent retreat)

I continue to participate in trainings for my own study and practice, and to infuse what I learn into my offerings.