Courtney Surigao, LCMHC

Courtney Surigao is a licensed clinical mental health counselor (LCMHC) who brings 18 years of experience to her practice in North Carolina. She focuses on helping people move through difficult life moments like grief, stress, relationship strain, and chronic health challenges. Her style is straightforward and caring, aimed at helping clients find workable steps forward.

Courtney believes change grows out of a trusting connection where someone feels heard and valued. She draws on client-centered principles to listen first, then uses practical tools from cognitive behavioral approaches and solution-focused work. Sessions often include concrete tasks or worksheets to try between meetings.

Her background includes long-term work with people facing mood concerns, trauma, parenting stress, and issues around identity and body image. She also supports people dealing with chronic pain, illness, and the emotional impact of end-of-life care. Those themes show up alongside common concerns like anxiety, depression, and career stress.

In therapy she helps clients clarify values, name strengths, and set realistic goals. Plans are built together and focus on small, achievable changes. She is direct about the work involved and encourages effort outside sessions to deepen progress.

Courtney also brings personal experience with blended families and adoption into her understanding of complex family dynamics. She welcomes conversations about intimacy, forgiveness, guilt, and healing from past hurt. If someone wants to explore practical coping skills or make sense of a painful season, she helps map a path forward.

How these approaches translate to online therapy

Client-Centered Therapy puts the person’s experience first, with the therapist listening closely and reflecting what matters most to the client. This approach helps people feel understood and used to set priorities for change. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks problems into thinking, feeling, and behavior patterns and uses practical exercises to test new ways of responding; it is helpful for anxiety, depression, and habit changes. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on emotions and attachment needs to improve how people relate to themselves and others and can help with intimacy and relationship distress.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit best, based on goals, preferences, and what has or hasn't helped in the past. That choice can change over time as progress is made.

The practical benefits of online therapy often include easier scheduling and the ability to fit sessions into a busy day. Online work can make it simpler to check in during a lunch break, avoid travel time, or use screen-shared worksheets together. Session format options are not listed here; please confirm current session formats and scheduling details before booking so arrangements match your needs.