Terri Chester, LCMHC - Therapist in North Carolina

About Terri

Terri Chester is a licensed clinical mental health counselor with 31 years of experience. She focuses on concerns like stress, anxiety, grief, trauma, addictions, and relationship issues. She also addresses work and career challenges, self-esteem, compassion fatigue, ADHD, and topics related to family and LGBT concerns.

Terri works from a collaborative stance and aims to help people find clearer ways to cope and move forward. Terri trained at Appalachian State University and holds a master’s degree in counseling.

Background and approach

She also completed an advanced certificate in expressive arts therapy from the European Graduate School of Expressive Arts Therapy. Over three decades she has practiced in schools, colleges, community mental health, independent practice, and wilderness therapy settings. Her style is client-centered and strength-based.

She treats therapy as a joint effort where she serves as a resource and sounding board. Sessions often focus on learning practical skills for managing emotions, decision-making, problem-solving, and planning next steps. She frequently uses cognitive and cognitive-behavioral techniques when working on goals and solving problems.

At times she blends talk-based work with sensory or creative methods such as mindfulness, expressive arts, Gestalt-type exercises, and body-centered techniques. Terri has particular experience with anxiety, depression, grief and loss, trauma processing, and life transitions. She draws on experiential and outdoor education methods when appropriate to support growth and increased self-awareness.

Therapeutic approaches that translate well to online care

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and reflecting back what matters to the individual. It is useful when people need a supportive space to sort out feelings, decisions, and life direction. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is about identifying unhelpful thinking and trying different behaviors to reach clear goals; it often helps with anxiety, depression, and practical problem-solving. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, teaches concrete skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and improving relationships, and can be used when strong emotions interfere with daily life.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to match methods to their goals and preferences. That might mean starting with one approach and adding expressive or experiential techniques as needs change.

Online sessions through video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging offer flexibility for busy schedules and for people who prefer remote care. These formats allow the same tools - guided conversations, CBT exercises, DBT skills practice, mindfulness prompts, and creative assignments - to be practiced between sessions. They make it easier to keep continuity of care and try different ways of working that fit daily life.

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.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.

Frequently asked questions

What issues does this therapist address?

She works with a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, addictions, intimacy and relationship issues, ADHD, career matters, and family-related topics.

How would you describe her therapeutic style?

Her style is client-centered and strength-based, emphasizing collaboration. She helps clients learn coping skills, problem-solving, emotion regulation, and planning for change.

What kind of experience does she bring?

She has 31 years of counseling experience, having worked in public schools, colleges, community mental health, independent practice, and wilderness therapy.

What are her credentials and where is she licensed?

She is an LCMHC - a licensed clinical mental health counselor - licensed in North Carolina with NC LCMHC #2389.

Which languages are supported for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

Can international clients work with her?

International clients are not currently accepted.

What session formats are available?

She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.

How are costs and scheduling handled?

Costs vary with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time; to begin, select the Start Therapy button and complete the short matching questionnaire before scheduling.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Trauma and abuse

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 31 years
Licensed: North Carolina
Languages: English

Next step

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