01 · Who Toni works with

Toni works with stress, Anxiety, trauma and abuse and self esteem

Toni lists 13 specialisms and 4 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Toni chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Toni's own words

What Toni says about the work

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

Hello and Welcome,

In my experience, people seek counseling for many different reasons. Although life can be challenging and sometimes difficult, I believe that with support and effective strategies, we can all find a way to thrive in any situation at any stage of life. There are times when we need help processing losses and painful situations as well and I believe therapy can help anyone find relief from pain in these distressing situations.

Through non-judgmental and supportive listening it may be possible to help you identify the causes of your distress as well as to explore strengths you can use to improve your overall sense of well-being when life’s difficulties confuse and overwhelm you. The use of long term and short term goals can also be very helpful for anyone in determining treatment strategies and the direction of therapy. I have found Dialectical Behavioral Therapy to be very effective in strengthening self-esteem and confidence, as well as increasing independence, and in improving decision making, relationship health, emotion regulation, and a more positive mood. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be very effective in helping you to identify and replace damaging, distressing and ineffective thinking patterns with those that can help you achieve your goals in life and improve your emotional health.

My name is Toni Kooy and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado. I have been working in the substance abuse and mental health field since 2004. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Counseling, both, from the University of Colorado.

I have worked with clients primarily, in the rural and urban community mental health center setting and have worked with a variety of clients from the age of 4 years old to the age of 80 years old . I have extensive training and experience with clients who struggle with problems related to mood and emotions as well as trauma and grief. I have received extensive training in trauma, which included EMDR. Thus, I have worked with many clients who were experiencing the symptoms of trauma in my past employment. In the past, I have worked as a musician, a construction worker, a nanny, a home-maker, and an assembly worker as well as my current 21-year career as a therapist, so I bring a varied and non-judgmental life perspective to the therapeutic process as well as a flexible schedule.

You have already gained insight into your situation and have utilized strength to seek help. If you would like to continue in your journey toward a life in which you can thrive, I would be honored to join you in your walk.

Toni Kooy, on the BetterHelp listing · read 6 Nov 2026

03 · How Toni works

The 8 approaches Toni lists, in plain English

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

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and ReprocessingEMDR

A structured trauma protocol in which you hold a distressing memory in mind while following a repeated side-to-side cue. The mechanism is still debated; the outcome data in post-traumatic stress is strong enough that it appears in national treatment guidelines.

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.

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.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

Internal Family SystemsIFS

Treats the mind as made up of parts - the critic, the one who withdraws, the one that keeps everything running - each of which is trying to protect you. The work is getting to know them rather than overruling them.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Toni 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 Toni'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 Toni at this point.

2. Naming Toni specifically

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

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 Toni

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

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

Colorado

Licence

CO LPC LPC.0005555

Licence number

LPC.0005555

Licence expires

31 Aug 2027

NPI

1558626804

Years in practice

20

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Toni'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 6 Nov 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 Toni. 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.