TE 
Terri Ellerbe-Graves
Calm guidance for practical change
LCMHC North Carolina
- Experience
- 23 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Family, Trauma and abuse
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Languages
- English
About Terri
Terri Ellerbe-Graves is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) with 23 years of experience helping people navigate stress, anxiety, relationship challenges, grief, trauma, and other life transitions.
Background and approach
She focuses on building practical coping strategies, strengthening healthy boundaries, and teaching core skills that support daily functioning and emotional resilience. Terri frames therapy as a collaborative endeavor, working with each person to identify attainable goals and steps toward growth.
Her approach blends evidence-informed methods such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to match the needs of the individual. Terri emphasizes a nonjudgmental, compassionate stance where clients can bring difficult or shame-filled material without fear of surprise or rejection.
Based in North Carolina, she offers flexible session formats and supports clients as they work toward healing, change, and greater well-being.
How therapeutic approaches translate to online care
Terri integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) into her online work. CBT focuses on identifying and reshaping unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors to reduce symptoms such as anxiety or depression, while ACT emphasizes learning to accept difficult emotions and commit to values-guided actions to improve life quality. Attachment-Based Therapy may also inform sessions when relationship patterns and early bonds are central concerns, helping clients understand how past connections influence present interactions.Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Terri aims to learn each client's goals, preferences, and life context, then collaboratively select strategies that fit. She adjusts methods over time as needs evolve so the work remains practical and relevant to the client's priorities.
Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, making it easier to fit sessions into busy schedules and to maintain continuity during life changes. These formats allow licensed professionals to provide skills training, cognitive work, emotional processing, and coaching in ways that suit different learning styles and accessibility needs.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Terri commonly work with?
She addresses a broad range of difficulties including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, sleeping problems, parenting, self-esteem, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and related concerns.
What therapeutic styles guide her work?
Her practice draws on several evidence-informed approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to tailor care to each client's needs.
How much experience does she have?
Terri has 23 years of experience working in the helping field and has supported people with a wide variety of emotional and life challenges during that time.
Where is she licensed and based?
She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) practicing in North Carolina with license number NC LCMHC 11187.
Does she offer services in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are available?
Therapy can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or via text-based messaging to accommodate different preferences and needs.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with Terri?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling a session according to therapist availability.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
LGBTRelationship issuesGriefIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersParenting issuesSelf esteemBipolar disorderCoping with life changesADHD
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeAvoidant personalityBlended family issuesBody imageCancerCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)DissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFertility issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGender dysphoriaGuilt and shameHIV / AIDSHoardingHospice and end-of-life counselingImmigration issuesImpulsivityIntellectual disabilityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisMoney and financial issuesMood disordersMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPhobiasPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSexual assault and abuseSexual dysfunctionSexualitySmoking / vaping cessationSocial anxiety and phobiaSomatizationTraumatic brain injuryTrichotillomaniaVisually impairedWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Existential TherapyGottman MethodJungian TherapyMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapySomatic TherapyInternal Family Systems
Experience
23+ years
Licensed
North Carolina
Languages
English