Terri Chester, LCMHC

Terri Chester is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) with a master's degree in counseling from Appalachian State University, earned in 1989, and an advanced certificate in expressive arts therapy from the European Graduate School of Expressive Arts Therapy, completed in 1999. With 31 years of experience in the counseling field, she has supported people across many settings including public schools, community colleges, universities, community mental health, private practice, and wilderness therapy.

Her practice is strength-based and client-centered, focusing on individualized care and collaborative work. She sees therapy as a partnership in which she serves as a resource, sounding board, and supporter while clients identify and develop skills for expressing emotions, practicing self-care, solving problems, making decisions, and planning new life directions. Cognitive and cognitive-behavioral techniques are frequently used for problem-solving and goal-setting, alongside experiential methods when appropriate.

Terri often combines talk-based approaches with sensory and non-talk techniques such as mindfulness, expressive arts, body-centered practices, and Gestalt methods to deepen insight and support change. Her primary areas of focus include anxiety, depression, anger management, grief and loss, trauma processing, and life transitions such as blending families, divorce, relocation, and career changes. She also brings a background in outdoor and experiential education and expressive arts therapy to her work.

Grounded in the belief that people have a strong capacity for growth, she emphasizes self-reflection, increased awareness, practical information, and supportive collaboration as pathways to positive change.