Cassandra Muldoon, LMHC-DP

I know exactly what it’s like to be torn between competing thoughts.

As a competitive swimmer from Canada looking at American colleges on scholarship, I couldn’t decide between pursuing something in the arts – fine arts, interior design – or diving into social sciences. I visited art schools, but nothing felt exactly right. With the pressure of grade 12 ending and everyone else having their futures mapped out, I made what felt like a scary decision: I took a gap year.

That year off to focus on swimming and the other things I loved turned out to be the best decision I could have made. It gave me the space to realize what I actually wanted to do with my life – work in mental health. Sometimes the pressure to have everything figured out immediately keeps us from finding what we’re truly meant to do.

I’m Cassandra, and those 18 years as a competitive swimmer at the national level shaped everything about how I approach therapy today. Swimming taught me firsthand about perfectionism, performance anxiety and the crushing weight of expectations – you had to look a certain way, dedicate endless hours, be successful, and keep winning. I know what it feels like when the pressure to be perfect affects not just your performance, but your mood and confidence too.

During my graduate internship at a private practice specializing in OCD and anxiety disorders, I discovered my passion for helping people live lives that aren’t controlled by their thoughts. I work primarily with adults dealing with OCD, social anxiety, general anxiety, perfectionism, and test anxiety. I also love working with athletes because I understand performance anxiety from the inside out. I also work with the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals with depression and couples wanting to improve their relationships.

My approach draws from acceptance and commitment therapy, CBT, exposure response prevention, and solution-focused work. But I also bring my fine arts background into sessions – sometimes clients express themselves better through art than words, and I’m here for whatever works. I tailor therapy to be different for each person who walks through my door because I pay close attention to the traits, life experiences, and personality that shape your world.

Clients tell me they feel understood, not judged, and comfortable enough to be themselves and talk about things they can’t share with anyone else. As your therapist I don’t believe my role is to help you by giving you the perfect solution for all your problems. Instead, I guide you toward making the changes you want in your life, but it’s your job to help yourself by engaging in therapy and doing the work outside our sessions. You’re always in control of how fast or slow we work through problems and what we address in each session.

I encourage people to think of therapy like working out – real change takes patience and doesn’t happen in  just one or two sessions, but requires a shift in lifestyle and daily commitment to do the work. My ideal clients are people ready and seeking change in their lives, because that’s where the real transformation happens.

When I’m not in sessions, I’m usually drawing, painting, doing crafts, lifting weights, hiking, playing with my cat, gaming, or talking with friends and family. These creative and physical outlets keep me grounded and remind me that life is about more than just our struggles.