01 · Who Courtney works with

Courtney works with relationship issues, family conflicts and grief

Courtney lists 15 specialisms and 32 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Courtney chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Courtney's own words

What Courtney says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Have you felt stuck? Or deeply, profoundly, weary? Have been experiencing intense pain, anger, confusion, and sorrow, or maybe you feel completely broken. No matter where you are in life, counseling can be a huge step towards health and healing. You CAN move towards hope, and peace and promise and ultimately towards the abundant life you desire.

Counseling is an opportunity to bring growth and positive change within your life. During times of life transitions, conflict, stress, grief and loss, we often come up short with how to address the situations and find ourselves overwhelmed. I have more than 20 years experience working with a beautiful variety of people in different places with one of a kind stories! I believe YOU have immeasurable uniqueness and exceeding value.

I aim to provide services of highest integrity, utilizing personal strengths, faith, values, education and experiences, all part of who I am, and how I see the wonderful world. I am married for 23 years to my college sweetheart. We have 3 precious children born to us and many 'borrowed loves', who are children we were able to embrace, bring into our homes, protect and provide for in various seasons of their lives.

Growth, healing, and change occur within safe relationships where a person feels truly heard, completely accepted, and genuinely valued. It is important that you realize that counseling is often HARD WORK! Without effort there is no change and this change is often tough. But you have already begun by reaching out for help!

Typically clients can receive great benefit from a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) approaches, and together we will use a variety of tools and schools of thought to best meet your needs . There may be "homework" assignments, worksheets, or other tasks to practice in "real life" to further the effectiveness of the sessions.

Together we can identify areas of your life where you desire change. We can clarify your values and we can identify your strengths. We can work together to set achievable goals and make reasonable plans to reach them. We can start right away and move forward into the life you desire.

Therapeutic approaches commonly used:
 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Strength Based Therapy Solution Focused Therapy Art Therapy Narrative Therapy Family Systems

Areas of practice include but not limited to: Anxiety Depression Parenting Family conflict Adolescence Self Esteem Young adult Trauma Grief Recovery Career concerns Marriage Divorce Anger management Relationship Issues Mood Disorder Personality Disorders Physical and Sexual Abuse

Courtney Surigao, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Courtney works

The 5 approaches Courtney lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Courtney lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Courtney's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Courtney runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT

Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Courtney practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Courtney's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Courtney at this point.

2. Naming Courtney specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Courtney is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Courtney.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Courtney

Built from what Courtney actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Courtney's - Courtney has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 18 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCMHC

Licensed in

North Carolina

Licence

NC LCMHC 4960

Licence number

4960

Licence expires

30 Jun 2027

NPI

1962675777

Years in practice

18

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Courtney's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Courtney. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.