Katie Estrella

Katie Estrella is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in North Carolina. She brings five years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship strain, and the aftermath of trauma and abuse. Katie aims to make the first step feel less daunting and offers steady support along the way.

She prefers a straightforward, person-focused approach. Sessions begin by listening to what matters most to the client and building a trusting relationship. Katie believes that feeling heard and understood is an important part of healing.

Katie blends several evidence-based methods to match each person's needs. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. Attachment-based and client-centered techniques shape how she explores relationship patterns and emotional needs.

In sessions she emphasizes practical skills alongside reflective conversation. That can mean practicing communication strategies, trying small behavior changes, or learning mindfulness techniques to reduce anxiety. She works at a pace that fits each person and focuses on clear, usable steps between appointments.

Katie also helps people facing more specific challenges such as abandonment and attachment issues, caregiver stress, body image and eating concerns, chronic illness and pain, codependency, and problems with communication or commitment. Her background includes supporting people through separation and divorce, dissociation, and complex grief.

People looking to begin are asked to complete a short questionnaire and schedule a first appointment so she can better understand their goals and build a plan together.

How her approaches guide online therapy

Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relationship patterns shape current responses. It looks at how people connect, respond to closeness, and manage fear of loss, which can help when relationships cause ongoing stress. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, targets patterns of thought and behavior that keep problems going; it often includes clear, short homework tasks and tools for handling anxiety and low mood. Client-Centered Therapy places the person’s experience at the center of sessions, with the therapist reflecting and supporting the client's own goals and pace.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Katie will listen to concerns, discuss different options, and collaborate on a plan that fits the client's goals and comfort level. That plan can change as progress is made and new needs appear.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the available session formats before booking since formats were not listed in the biography. Online options can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins around work breaks, or reduce travel time. Some approaches like CBT work well with brief exercises between sessions, and attachment-focused work can be done through focused conversations and practice between meetings. Talk with Katie during the first appointment to decide what will work best for scheduling and therapeutic goals.