01 · Who Terry works with

Terry works with relationship issues, family conflicts and anger management

Terry lists 18 specialisms and 42 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Terry chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Terry's own words

What Terry says about the work

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

Thank you for checking out my profile!

My name is Terry L. Massey and I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1996 with a B.A. in Psychology. In 1997, I began studying with the International Association for Applied Control Theory, and after completing an advanced two-year program, was certified in the counseling techniques known as Applied Control Theory (more commonly linked to Reality Therapy). In that same year (1999) I was accepted into the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work Program (with a concentration in Clinical Direct Services to Children and Families) and was honored in 2000 as the first recipient of the UNCSSW Social Justice Award. In 2002, I completed my graduate studies and earned my MSW, with 75% of my work at the Honors level.

I have worked in the mental health and early childhood fields since 1994 (Charter Pines, American Daylight Treatment, Volunteers of America, Thompson Children’s Home, and United Family Services) and continue to practice as an Individual, Couple, Family and Group Psychotherapist. I have worked with a diverse population set, with ages ranging from four through adulthood, and continue to attend various trainings on a routine basis to ensure that I am offering professional and competent support to clients. My practices are rooted primarily in the Cognitive Behavioral, Rational Emotive, Family and Systems, and Existential approaches to Psychotherapy.

I am licensed in both North and South Carolina (LCSW and LISW-CP), hold an internationally recognized certification in Applied Control Theory, and is certified nationally as a Clinically Certified Sex Offender Treatment Specialist (CCSOTS) through the National Association of Forensic Counselors and the American Academy of Certified Forensic Counselors (accredited through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, the accreditation commission of the National Organization for Competency Assurance). I have chaired the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Social Work Community Advisory Board and serve as a consulting advisor for local mental health agencies providing Community Support Team and Intensive In-Home Services. I am recognized nationally as Clinical Supervisor (certified through the National Association of Social Workers) and provide routine supervision to both LCSW-A and LPC-A practitioners. In addition, I provide Clinical Supervision to Master’s level students through internship in various clinical agencies, including the C.W. Williams Community Health Center, where I served as the Director of Behavioral Health Services for many years.

I believe that a strong therapeutic relationship between the psychotherapist and the client is a partnership through which the conditions for change are created in a holistic environment. I use multiple approaches to help a client system make a connection to their own strengths that will give them the resources to meet their challenges with more success. I am a firm believer in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, and I especially love working with systems from the Experiential and Existential approaches to psychotherapy. I believe that change is constant and should be embraced and as we reinvent ourselves in healthy ways, we re-create our lives. As we re-create our lives, we learn to respect and embrace change to continually reinvent ourselves. It's an awesome cycle, isn’t? That is my concept of healthy movement in human development. In essence, my approach to providing services is for the client to eventually not "need" me, but for them to move through the change process where I can transition from being the "emergency mechanic" to the "tune up guy".

A few of my specialties are: Stress, Anxiety Family conflicts Anger management Self-Esteem and Self-Image Depression

I'm also highly experienced in: Coping with life changes Abandonment issues Aging Issues Codependency Communication challenges Family challenges Impulsivity issues

Clinical approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) Motivational Interviewing Narrative Therapy Solution-Focused Therapy Experiential Therapy Existential Therapy

Years of Experience: 23

Terry Massey, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Terry works

The 7 approaches Terry lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Terry lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Terry'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 Terry 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.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

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.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy
• Imago Relationship Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Terry 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 Terry'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 Terry at this point.

2. Naming Terry specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Terry 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 Terry.

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 Terry

Built from what Terry actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Terry's - Terry 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 26 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

LCSW

Licensed in

North Carolina

Licence

NC LCSW C005677, SC LISW-CP 9324

Licence number

C005677

Licence expires

11 Jun 2027

NPI

1508991829

Years in practice

26

Gender

Male

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

9 Jun 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Terry'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 Terry. 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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