Practitioner record · Checked 9 Oct 2026
Linda Blackburn has been in practice 20 years and is licensed in Virginia. Linda lists stress, Anxiety, grief and self esteem among 38 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.
Everything below is either quoted from Linda's own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.
01 · Who Linda works with
Linda lists 16 specialisms and 22 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Linda chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.
02 · In Linda's own words
Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.
Hello, my name is Linda Blackburn. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of North Carolina. I received my Bachelor of Science Degree from East Carolina University in 1993 and my Master's of Social Work Degree from East Carolina University in 1994 through an Advanced Standing Master's Program. I began my professional life as a Registered Nurse working with Adolescents and Adults in Psychiatric Nursing for eleven years. In 1992 I made the professional decision to move to Social Work with the goal of becoming an LCSW. I received my License in Clinical Social Work in 1995.
I have extensive experience in outpatient counseling as the owner of my own practice for over ten years and in working in other outpatient practice settings over the years. While my experience has been with various diagnoses and behavioral disorders, my primary focus has been in the treatment of anxiety as well as depression. I am a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional (CCATP). For twelve years I also worked as a Seminar Instructor with several continuing education groups providing day-long seminars around the United States on Grief, Bereavement, and Loss Therapy - Death and Non-Death Related. Over the past ten years, I also worked as an Adjunct Professor in Social Work for Shaw University, Raleigh North Carolina, teaching entry-level Social Work courses. What has been the most important factor for me over the years is the privilege to work with clients in developing trusting relationships that lead to an open team approach to counseling and effective outcomes.
My theoretical approach to counseling is primarily an eclectic one focusing primarily on a person's unique needs and the situation at the time. I believe in the importance of respect, sensitivity, compassion and always maintaining a nonjudgmental approach to counseling. The understanding and the acceptance of people for who they are and their situation, and then tailoring a treatment approach that allows for personal growth and positive outcomes is fundamental to me in my role as your therapist. Additionally, over the past 4 years I have focused on developing a deeper understanding of treatment approaches through the utilization of treatment strategies based on knowledge of the neuroscience principles in the treatment of mental health. I realize that taking this step to reach out and ask for help can be frightening and confusing. I congratulate you on taking this important first step, and I look forward to working with you to achieve your better life.
Linda Blackburn, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026
03 · How Linda works
These are the clinical methods Linda lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Linda'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 Linda runs a session.
04 · What happens next
Linda 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 Linda's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.
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 Linda at this point.
BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Linda 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 Linda.
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.
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.
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
Built from what Linda actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Linda's - Linda 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 20 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
07 · Provenance
Linda'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 Linda. 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.
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