Cora Strickland, LCMHC

Cora Strickland is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) based in North Carolina with 20 years of experience. She works one-on-one with adults to address day-to-day struggles and longer-term concerns. Her approach centers on practical steps people can use right away. She focuses on helping people understand how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. Cora uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing to help clients notice unhelpful thinking and try small behavioral changes. She also draws on trauma-focused ideas when past harm affects current life. In sessions she often guides people through cognitive restructuring and behavioral activation. She helps clients identify common thinking traps and test new ways of responding. Relaxation exercises and acceptance practices are also tools she brings into the work. Cora trained at East Carolina University for undergraduate studies and completed her master’s degree at North Carolina Central University. She has owned a private mental health practice in Burlington, North Carolina, and has worked in clinical settings across her career. People often reach out about stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, addictions, relationship concerns, intimacy issues, parenting strain, eating and sleeping problems, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and coping with life changes. Sessions aim to be straightforward and focused, with concrete strategies to try between visits. Cora also uses motivational methods to support readiness for change and to set achievable goals.

How these approaches work online

CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing practical behavior changes. Online CBT sessions often include setting small goals, tracking progress between sessions, and practicing skills like behavioral activation or relaxation exercises that fit into daily routines.

Motivational Interviewing emphasizes a client’s own reasons for change and builds motivation in a collaborative way. In remote sessions this looks like guided conversations, setting manageable steps, and checking in on what helps or gets in the way of progress.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss your goals, try techniques, and adjust methods based on what feels most useful. That collaborative process helps tailor sessions to each person’s needs and preferences.

Online therapy offers flexibility in how people connect. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and screen-sharing for worksheets. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text-based messaging let clients check in between appointments or use shorter tools on a busy day. These options make it easier to fit care into work, family, or travel schedules while focusing on practical strategies and steady progress.