Courtney Surigao, LCMHC

Courtney Surigao is a licensed clinical mental health counselor (LCMHC) based in North Carolina who focuses on practical, goal-oriented therapy. She draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy alongside other approaches to help people facing stress, anxiety, grief, parenting challenges, relationship struggles, and mood concerns.

Courtney offers short, clear conversations about what is causing distress and what can change. Sessions often include worksheets, simple skills to practice between meetings, and steps you can try right away. She emphasizes small, achievable goals so progress feels possible.

Her work centers on listening closely and helping people name their values and strengths. From there she and the client map out concrete plans to reduce emotional pain, improve sleep and eating, manage anger, and rebuild connection where it has been damaged. She also addresses issues such as body image, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and end-of-life concerns.

With 18 years of experience, Courtney has supported people through big life transitions, trauma and abuse, adoption and blended family concerns, and career or identity shifts. She describes therapy as active work that asks for effort outside sessions as well as inside them.

Her approach blends client-centered care with solution-focused strategies and narrative techniques. That lets her tailor sessions to what each person actually needs, whether the focus is on short-term coping or deeper, longer-term change.

How CBT and Client-Centered Work Translate Online

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on noticing patterns of thought and behavior that contribute to distress and then practicing small, concrete changes. Online sessions can include worksheets, thought records, and step-by-step strategies for anxiety, depression, sleep, and anger.

Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening, acceptance, and supporting your own goals. In this approach the therapist follows the person’s lead, helps them clarify values, and builds plans that fit their life. Emotionally-Focused Therapy helps people name and move through difficult feelings to improve connection and reduce emotional reactivity, which can be useful for intimacy-related and relationship concerns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Courtney collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their goals, preferences, and day-to-day life. She will try approaches and adjust based on what helps most, combining tools from CBT, solution-focused work, and narrative or emotionally-focused methods as needed.

Online therapy offers flexibility for busy schedules and different needs. Video calls allow face-to-face connection and screen-sharing of worksheets, phone sessions are useful when bandwidth or camera use is limited, live chat can support brief check-ins, and text messaging helps keep momentum between appointments. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or health-related routines.