Cortney Merritt

Cortney Merritt is a Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical (LCSW-C) in Maryland with five years of clinical experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, low self-esteem, and life changes. Cortney also helps people dealing with isolation, communication problems, guilt and shame, impulsivity, post-traumatic stress, sexuality concerns, self-love, and issues many women face.

Her approach is collaborative and person-centered. She treats people as the experts on their own lives and uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to create practical strategies. Sessions focus on clear goals and small, useful changes rather than vague promises.

Cortney pays attention to cultural context and shows respect for different backgrounds and identities. She helps clients name what matters to them and consider next steps. Work might include improving how someone talks about needs, managing intense feelings, or coping with a big life transition.

She often supports people who are questioning their direction or purpose and feeling stuck after a job change, relationship shift, or loss. In those situations Cortney helps clarify values and test practical choices. The emphasis is on manageable steps and on understanding what feels doable now.

To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule a first session. Sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time, and session costs vary with location.

Evidence-based approaches and remote sessions

Many of Cortney's methods draw on evidence-based therapeutic techniques. That can include approaches that help people learn skills to manage intense emotions and reduce anxiety, such as short-term behavioral strategies that teach practical coping skills and moment-to-moment regulation. It can also include therapies that focus on processing difficult experiences and grief by creating a steady, paced way to revisit painful memories and build tolerable meaning. These approaches aim to give concrete tools and habits to use between sessions rather than only talk.

Choosing the right method is part of the work. Cortney takes a collaborative approach and will help identify which techniques fit a person's goals, needs, and preferences. Together they look at what feels realistic and adjust as work progresses.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so please confirm which online options are offered before booking. In general online sessions can make therapy easier to fit into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They can also let someone join from a quieter setting, use audio-only when camera time is difficult, or schedule around work breaks. Ask about the current session options when you complete the matching questionnaire.