About Cortney
Cortney (Bota) Smith uses a person-centered approach to meet people where they are. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) based in New York with 11 years of experience. Cortney focuses on practical steps and clear goals during sessions to help people move forward.
She works with people facing stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar concerns, and addictions. She also supports those coping with trauma, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, anger, sleep problems, parenting strain, and career or self-esteem concerns.
How Cortney works
Sessions emphasize the client’s priorities and strengths. Cortney draws on cognitive behavioral therapy to identify unhelpful thinking and to practice new behaviors. She uses solution-focused techniques to set short-term goals and find concrete next steps.
Motivational interviewing helps when making changes feels difficult or uncertain. Most of her clinical experience came from community clinics providing in-person care. More recently she has offered online counseling for several years, using video, phone, live chat, and messaging.
Her background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling, and 1,000 clinical internship hours. Her sessions are guided by what each person wants to achieve. Cortney aims to support and guide while the person leads the pace of change.
She notes weekday daytime hours and will try to accommodate occasional evening appointments when possible.
Cortney lists 4 ways of working on the entry:
What Cortney works with
The areas below are the ones Cortney selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
Also listed
- Addictions
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
- Trauma and abuse
Training and background
| Register | LMHC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 11 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | New York |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Approaches that guide online sessions
Cognitive behavioral therapy helps identify unhelpful thoughts and then practice different responses. It is useful for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and breaking patterns that get in the way of daily life. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening, empathy, and meeting each person where they are. It supports people who need a space to sort through feelings and decide on their own goals.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about needs, goals, and preferences and then try approaches that fit. That process is collaborative and may shift as progress is made or new challenges arise.
Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is good when face-to-face interaction matters. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when a quick check-in fits a break at work. Messaging and live chat work well for shorter updates and ongoing support between sessions. These formats make scheduling more flexible and help people access care from different places.
Start online instead of waiting
Our partner service asks a few questions about what you are looking for and matches you with a therapist for sessions from home.
Book with CortneyWe will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you.
Common questions
What concerns does Cortney commonly address?
How would you describe her therapy style?
What is her clinical background and experience?
Where is she licensed and based?
Which languages are sessions offered in?
What session formats are available?
How are costs handled for sessions?
How do I begin working with her?
A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. Entries are not assessed or endorsed by this directory.
Other entries for stress, anxiety
Supportive LCSW helping people build strength and clarity
Practical, trauma-aware therapy for everyday life
Practical, relational therapy for life transitions