Courtney Holbrook, LCSW

Courtney Holbrook is a licensed clinical social worker in Illinois with ten years of experience helping people facing stress, anxiety, addiction concerns, trauma, low self-esteem, and depression. She supports clients working through relationship and intimacy challenges, grief, career questions, and the practical strain of life transitions. Her approach is warm and straightforward, aimed at helping people find clearer next steps when they feel overwhelmed.

Courtney centers sessions on what matters most to each person. She listens first and then uses tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and other approaches to help clients notice patterns, test new behaviors, and build coping skills. Sessions are collaborative and goal-focused, with everyday language and concrete strategies rather than jargon.

She describes her style as client-centered and whole-person oriented. That means she treats each concern in the context of a person's life, values, and relationships. She also brings techniques from dialectical behavior therapy, emotionally focused therapy, and mindfulness to help regulate emotions and strengthen connections.

Courtney has worked with a wide range of issues beyond mood and anxiety, including adoption and foster care concerns, attachment difficulties, chronic illness and caregiver stress, body image, and codependency. She helps people address both immediate problems and longer-term patterns that keep them stuck.

Her practice offers flexible ways to meet, with options for people who prefer different formats. Those who reach out complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule sessions based on therapist availability.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors. Online CBT sessions often include practical exercises, thought records, and step-by-step plans to reduce anxiety, manage mood, or change harmful patterns.

Client-centered therapy places the person's experience at the center. In remote sessions this looks like active listening, empathy, and checking in about what matters most so goals stay relevant and realistic.

Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, teaches emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills. Those skills can be practiced in sessions and reinforced between meetings through messages or brief check-ins when useful.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, try strategies, and adjust methods based on what helps most. That collaborative process lets clients test techniques and keep what works for their life.

Online formats make therapy more flexible. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation; phone sessions need less bandwidth and can be easier for quick check-ins. Live chat and text-based messaging support shorter updates, homework review, or stepping through a grounding skill when it is needed in the moment. These options help clients fit therapy into work, caregiving, or health routines without losing continuity of care.