Carol Costner
Calm guidance for family and parenting concerns
- Credentials
- LPC
- Experience
- 21 years
- Licensed in
- Alabama
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Carol
Carol Costner is a licensed professional counselor who focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, parenting challenges, grief, and life transitions. She writes and speaks plainly in sessions and aims to make therapy feel practical and understandable. Carol brings 21 years of experience and a steady, compassionate presence to the work.
She trained first as a nurse at the University of Alabama in Birmingham and later earned a Master’s degree in Community Counseling from Jacksonville State University.
Background and approach
Carol holds the LPC credential - Licensed Professional Counselor - and has worked across clinical settings with people facing emotional and relational struggles. In therapy she leans on client-centered methods, meaning the client’s own goals and perspective guide the work. She also draws from cognitive behavioral techniques, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and mindfulness practices to address symptoms and improve daily functioning.
Sessions focus on clear strategies, thoughtful exploration, and skills people can use between meetings. Carol is comfortable addressing concerns such as trauma and abuse, anger, self-esteem, communication problems, guilt and shame, panic attacks, career stress, compassion fatigue, and relationship strains. Her approach balances empathy with practical steps for change so clients can move toward goals at a pace that fits them.
She practices in Alabama and conducts sessions in English. People interested in beginning can follow the platform’s process to complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule sessions.
Approaches that translate to online care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them and then choose actions that align with personal values. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches concrete tools to change unhelpful patterns; it often helps with panic, anxiety, and coping skills.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Carol works with each person to identify goals, try methods, and adjust as needed so the plan fits the client’s needs and preferences. She integrates client-centered listening with specific techniques so the work feels both personal and practical.
Online sessions offer flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to continue work between meetings. Carol uses these options to support consistent progress, checking in on skills and homework in ways that match each person’s routine and comfort level.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Less about arguing with difficult thoughts, more about loosening their grip and acting on what matters to you anyway. Values and committed action carry the work, which suits conversation at a distance.
Client-Centered Therapy
The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also works with
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Life purpose
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 21 years
- Licensed
- Alabama
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Carol
- Takes a few minutes
- Nothing to set up just to look
- Stop at any point