Carlyss Kurtti, LPCC

Carlyss Kurtti is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) based in North Dakota. She brings 18 years of experience as a psychotherapist and works with people facing a wide range of life challenges. Her approach is calm and nonjudgmental, and she focuses on practical steps that people can use day to day.

Carlyss uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and elements of dialectical behavior therapy and client-centered work. Sessions are tailored to each person's needs. She helps people break down problems into manageable parts and build skills to cope with stress, anxiety, and mood concerns.

She has supported people dealing with depression, trauma and abuse, grief, addictions, bipolar disorder, and ADHD. Relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting and co-parenting stress, body image, and codependency are also areas she addresses. Carlyss also works with issues that arise from adoption and foster care, aging, and caregiving strain.

Her style is patient and compassionate. She emphasizes respect and unconditional positive regard while helping clients set clear, achievable goals. Sessions aim to be practical - identifying coping strategies, changing unhelpful thinking patterns, and practicing new behaviors between meetings.

Carlyss welcomes conversations about what matters most to each person and adapts plans as needs shift. She guides people through transitions and helps them develop tools to manage emotions, improve communication, and move toward more balanced daily living.

Approaches to change and how online sessions help

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps people notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It often involves setting small goals and practicing new habits between sessions to reduce anxiety, depression, or unhelpful coping patterns.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy focuses on clarifying values and taking committed action. It teaches skills for accepting difficult feelings while building a meaningful life, which can help with grief, stress, and chronic worry.

Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and respect. The therapist offers a calm, accepting presence while people find their own solutions and pace for change.

Finding the right approach is a shared process. Carlyss will talk with each person about goals and preferences, then try methods that fit their situation. Adjustments are made as progress unfolds so sessions stay useful and relevant.

Online sessions are offered by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to make attendance easier. Video is useful for face-to-face conversations and skill practice, phone works well when bandwidth is limited, chat and text let people check in between meetings or have shorter check-ins during a busy day. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, school, or family schedules while still focusing on real, practical change.