Licensed to practice in Connecticut and accepts 9 insurances. Specializes in Addiction / Substance Use, Anger Management, Sexual Health and 10 more.

Chris Burgess

(he/him)

LCSW, 1 year of experience
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New to Grow

VirtualAvailable

About me

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who believes therapy should be compassionate, practical, and purposeful. My approach focuses on helping you understand the patterns that keep you stuck, clarify the values and priorities that matter most, and make meaningful changes in your life. I work collaboratively with clients while also being willing to ask difficult questions and address what may be getting in the way. My goal is simple: help you build a life that is more aligned with who you want to be—simple, not easy.

Get to know me

In our first session together, here's what you can expect

Your first session will focus on understanding both what brings you to therapy and the broader context of your life. We’ll complete a biopsychosocial assessment, exploring areas such as your current concerns, relationships, family history, work, health, strengths, and previous experiences with treatment. Just as importantly, this session is about building rapport and getting to know one another. By the end, we should have a clearer picture of what you want to address, what matters most to you, and how we can begin working toward it together.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

My approach stands out because I believe therapy can be compassionate without being passive and direct without being confrontational. I combine evidence-based approaches with honest conversation to help clients understand not only what they are experiencing, but why certain patterns continue to show up in their lives. Together, we identify your values and non-negotiables, build greater tolerance for discomfort, and focus on practical, incremental changes that can lead to meaningful and lasting growth.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

My ideal client is someone who is ready to take an honest look at where they are, better understand how they got there, and begin making intentional changes. You don’t need to have everything figured out or even know exactly what you want therapy to look like. You simply need a willingness to show up, be curious about yourself, and engage in the process. I work especially well with people navigating major life transitions, recovery, grief, relationships, anxiety, identity, or feeling stuck between the life they have and the life they want to build.

Other specialties

ADHD

Attachment Issues

Burnout

Depression

Grief

Loneliness / Isolation

Identifies as

Serves ages

Licensed in

Location

Virtual

My treatment methods

Acceptance and commitment (ACT)

I use the ACT Choice Point to help clients identify the values and non-negotiables that make life simple—not easy. From there, we focus on small, deliberate choices that move life toward those values rather than away from them. These incremental changes build over time, creating meaningful shifts in patterns, relationships, and behavior. The goal is not to become someone new, but to realign your life with who you truly are and how you want to live.

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

I use Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help clients reframe how they understand the complex and sometimes conflicting parts of themselves and how those parts show up in everyday life. Rather than simply judging a behavior or decision as good or bad, we work to understand the **why** behind it—what a part is trying to accomplish, what motivates it, and how it responds under pressure. Learning to recognize these patterns gives us valuable information about ourselves and creates more space to choose our response rather than simply react. That awareness helps us stay aligned with our values, priorities, and non-negotiables even when different parts of us are pulling in different directions.

Dialectical Behavior (DBT)

I use principles and skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help clients become more capable of being **comfortable in the uncomfortable**. Meaningful change inevitably creates stress, uncertainty, difficult emotions, and moments when returning to old patterns feels easier. DBT provides practical tools for increasing distress tolerance, regulating emotions, and expanding the threshold of what we can experience without becoming overwhelmed or reacting impulsively. The goal is not to eliminate discomfort, but to build the capacity to move through it deliberately—so difficult moments no longer have the power to pull us away from our values and non-negotiables.

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)

I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients recognize **cognitive distortions**—patterns of thinking that can shape how we interpret ourselves, other people, and the situations in front of us. By learning what these distortions are, how they work, and when they are influencing our decisions, we create space between an automatic thought and the choice that follows. The goal is not to force positive thinking, but to think more accurately and deliberately, allowing us to make choices that remain aligned with our values and non-negotiables rather than being directed by old assumptions, fear, or distorted thinking.

New to Grow
This provider hasn’t received any written reviews yet. We started collecting written reviews January 1, 2025.