About Carol
Carol Costner welcomes people who are worn out by worry, conflict, or life changes and want practical ways to feel more capable. She writes simply and directly, helping clients notice what matters to them and take small steps toward feeling better. Carol is a Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC, practicing in Alabama with 21 years of experience.
She began her career in healthcare after earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and later completed a Master’s degree in Community Counseling from Jacksonville State University.
Background and approach
That path led her from hospital settings into mental health work, where she has supported people dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, parenting strain, and career stress. In sessions she relies on a client-centered outlook. Carol treats the person as the expert on their life and starts from the client’s own goals and observations.
She blends approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive behavioral tools, and mindfulness to build a tailored plan that fits each person. Her style balances warmth with clear direction. She encourages self-compassion while challenging unhelpful patterns.
Practical skills, communication strategies, and attention to values are commonly part of the work. Carol helps people who are facing panic, relationship struggles, guilt and shame, or compassion fatigue find steadier footing. She focuses on straightforward steps people can use between sessions to make daily life feel more manageable and purposeful.
Approaches you can use in online sessions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice what truly matters and take small actions that align with those values, even when hard thoughts or feelings are present. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking patterns and testing new behaviors to reduce anxiety, panic, and low mood. Mindfulness-based work trains simple attention and breathing skills to lower reactivity and improve emotion regulation.Finding the right blend of approaches is part of the process. The therapist will work with each person to decide which methods feel most useful based on goals, daily life demands, and preferences. That collaborative planning means techniques are adjusted over time rather than fixed at the start.
Online sessions can fit into busy routines. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and skill practice. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging support ongoing reflection, quick coping reminders, or people who prefer writing as their main channel. These options make it simpler to keep continuity of care and use therapy tools between appointments.
Questions people ask
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What this counselor works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Life purpose
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 21 years
- Licensed
- Alabama
- Languages
- English