Courtney Surigao, LCMHC

Courtney Surigao, LCMHC (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor), brings 18 years of experience supporting individuals and families through grief, relationship struggles, trauma, and major life changes. She works with people who feel stuck, deeply weary, angry, or sorrowful and helps them move toward renewed hope, greater calm, and clearer direction. Courtney views counseling as a practical path to growth - a place to explore strengths, clarify values, and set achievable goals that match each person’s unique story.

Her approach blends evidence-based techniques such as cognitive behavioral and solution-focused methods with narrative and emotionally-focused perspectives to meet clients where they are. She often includes skills practice or brief assignments to help new learning translate into everyday life. Courtney aims to honor clients' faith, values, and lived experience as resources for healing while maintaining the highest standards of professional care.

Off work she is married to her college sweetheart and has raised three children while also opening her home to other children through adoption and foster care. She emphasizes that meaningful change usually takes effort and partnership - when people invest in the process, they can experience measurable progress in areas like anxiety, depression, parenting, family conflict, intimacy, trauma recovery, grief, and life transition work.

Therapeutic approaches and online care that fit your life

Courtney commonly draws on client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and emotionally-focused therapy (EFT) in her online practice. Client-centered therapy emphasizes a warm, nonjudgmental relationship where the client’s perspective guides the work - it supports self-exploration, self-acceptance, and personal growth. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns and teaching practical skills to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. EFT concentrates on emotions and attachment patterns, often helping couples and individuals improve intimacy and resolve relationship pain by clarifying underlying emotional needs.

Choosing the right approach is part of the collaborative process. Courtney partners with each person to clarify goals, test strategies, and adjust methods based on what feels most helpful. That collaborative stance helps tailor the work to individual needs, values, and preferences.

Online sessions by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging add flexibility for busy schedules, caregiving demands, or distance barriers. These options make it easier to keep consistent appointments, practice skills between sessions, and access licensed professionals from wherever clients are located.