LCSW, 10 years of experience
I’m Kourtney Carter, PhD, LCSW, CCS, a licensed clinical social worker with extensive experience working with individuals and couples facing a range of challenges, including anxiety, trauma, relationship difficulties, and ADHD. I integrate evidence-based therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to provide a compassionate, safe, and nonjudgmental environment. My goal is to empower clients to build resilience, enhance emotional regulation, and live in alignment with their core values. Together, we work collaboratively toward meaningful and lasting change that supports your overall well-being and personal growth.
In your first session with me, we’ll start by getting to know each other and understanding what brought you to therapy. I’ll ask about your current concerns, your history, and what you hope to achieve through our work together. We’ll also discuss how therapy works, confidentiality, and any questions you have. This session is a safe space to share at your own pace — there’s no pressure to have all the answers right away. Together, we’ll begin identifying goals and figuring out the best path forward for you.
What stands out about my therapeutic approach is my patient and compassionate nature, creating a relaxed and nonjudgmental environment where clients feel safe to explore their experiences. I deeply understand the complexities of the human experience, which allows me to meet clients where they are and tailor therapy to their unique needs. My methods focus on blending evidence-based practices with empathy and flexibility to support meaningful and lasting change.
I am best positioned to serve clients who are ready to actively engage in the therapeutic process — individuals and couples who want to better understand themselves, improve emotional regulation, and move from feeling “stuck” to living with more clarity, intention, and connection. I work well with clients managing anxiety, trauma, relationship conflict, ADHD-related challenges, identity exploration, and life transitions. My approach is a good fit for those open to trying concrete skills, reflecting honestly, and aligning their behavior with their values — even when growth feels uncomfortable.
In sessions, I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients build psychological flexibility by learning how to sit with difficult thoughts and emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them. We practice mindfulness-based strategies to increase present-moment awareness, identify the internal struggles they’ve been avoiding, and work towards accepting these experiences rather than trying to control or eliminate them. Together, we clarify each client’s personal values and use them to guide goal-setting and behavior change. This allows clients to make meaningful choices rooted in what matters most to them — even when uncomfortable thoughts, memories, or feelings are present. Over time, clients become better able to observe their internal experiences without judgment and take committed, values-aligned action in their daily lives.
In sessions, I utilize EMDR therapy to help clients process and desensitize distressing memories, beliefs, and body sensations connected to traumatic or overwhelming life experiences. After identifying a target memory and the negative beliefs associated with it, I guide clients through sets of bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, taps, or tones) while they mindfully notice whatever thoughts, images, emotions, or sensations arise. This process allows the brain and body to reprocess the experience, decreasing emotional reactivity and installing more adaptive beliefs (e.g., shifting from “I am powerless” to “I am in control now”). EMDR helps clients become less triggered in the present and move forward with an increased sense of calm, clarity, and resilience.
I provide gender-affirming care that supports clients in exploring, understanding, and expressing their authentic gender identity in a safe, respectful, and validating environment. My approach centers each individual’s self-defined experience, offers emotional and psychoeducational support around social, medical, and legal aspects of transition, and advocates for care that reduces distress while promoting self-acceptance, autonomy, and overall well-being.
I incorporate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help clients increase mindfulness, manage intense emotions, tolerate distress, and improve communication. I also guide clients in challenging their automatic thoughts — encouraging them to pause and assess whether their perceptions are thoughts or facts — so they can respond more effectively and reduce reactive behaviors.
In my individual work, I use Solution-Focused Therapy to quickly identify a client’s goals, highlight their existing strengths and resources, and develop brief, actionable steps that support meaningful change — making it especially effective for acute needs or time-limited treatment.