Terri Chester , LCMHC

Terri Chester holds a master’s degree in counseling from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, earned in 1989, and an advanced certificate in expressive arts therapy from the European Graduate School of Expressive Arts Therapy in Leuk-Stadt, Switzerland, earned in 1999. She brings 31 years of experience in counseling across a variety of settings, including public schools, community colleges, universities, community mental health, private practice, and wilderness therapy.

As a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor - LCMHC - Terri favors a strength-based, client-centered approach that is tailored to each individual. She views therapy as a collaborative process in which she serves as a resource, support, and sounding board while working with clients to identify and build existing strengths and discover new resources. Her work emphasizes practical skills for coping and emotional expression, along with self-care, problem-solving, decision-making, planning, and pursuing new life directions.

Terri often integrates cognitive and cognitive-behavioral techniques for goal-setting and problem-solving, and she complements talk-based work with sensory and experiential methods when appropriate. Those methods can include mindfulness, expressive arts, body-centered techniques, and Gestalt-oriented exercises. Her primary areas of focus include anxiety, depression, anger management, grief and loss, processing past and recent trauma, and common life transitions such as blending families, bereavement, divorce, relationship challenges, relocation, and career change. With a strong background in outdoor and experiential education as well as expressive arts therapy, she emphasizes self-reflection, increased self-awareness, information, and collaborative support as pathways to meaningful change and growth.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Terri Chester draws on client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to guide online work. Client-centered therapy focuses on creating a respectful, nonjudgmental environment where the client’s goals and values lead the process; it is well suited to relationship concerns, life transitions, and building self-esteem. CBT is a structured, skills-oriented approach that helps identify unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and develop practical strategies for managing anxiety, depression, and problem-solving. DBT emphasizes emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, with particular benefit for strong emotions and recurring relationship or behavioral patterns.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic journey, and Terri works collaboratively with each person to determine what fits best based on their needs, goals, and preferences. She often blends methods and adapts techniques so that sessions remain relevant and effective for the individual.

Online sessions - whether by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging - make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to access consistent support from wherever the client is located within the therapist’s service area. These formats offer flexibility in pacing and communication style, enabling Terri and the client to tailor the process to practical constraints and therapeutic goals.