Terri Chester

Terri Chester holds a master’s degree in counseling from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, earned in 1989, and completed an advanced certificate in expressive arts therapy at the European Graduate School of Expressive Arts Therapy in Leuk-Stadt, Switzerland, in 1999. She has worked in counseling for 31 years across a range of settings, including public schools, community colleges, university environments, community mental health, private practice, and wilderness therapy.

Her practice is built on a strength-based, client-centered approach that is tailored to each individual. She treats therapy as a collaborative process, positioning herself as a resource, support, and sounding board while helping clients identify and develop skills for expressing emotions, practicing self-care, solving problems, making decisions, and pursuing new life directions. Terri frequently applies cognitive and cognitive-behavioral techniques for problem-solving and goal-setting, and she also integrates non-talk methods when helpful, such as mindfulness, expressive arts, body-centered techniques, and Gestalt approaches.

Terri’s primary areas of expertise include anxiety, depression, anger management, grief and loss, processing past and recent trauma, current life events, and developmental transitions like blending families, bereavement, divorce, relationship challenges, moving, and career changes. She brings a strong background in outdoor education, experiential learning, and expressive arts therapy to her work, and she is a licensed clinical mental health counselor in North Carolina. Terri believes people have great capacity for change and positive growth, and that self-reflection, increased self-awareness, practical information, self-care, and supportive collaboration can improve many situations.