Individual + Collaborative Family Therapy

for neurospicy young people and those who love them

provided virtually to Maryland residents by Courtney Hart, LCSW-C

Thank you for your interest in working together!

I am not providing any therapy services through December 2024.

Below are some resources to help you learn more about the services I continue to provide, Neurodiversity Affirming Diagnostic Evaluations for ADHD and Autism + Consultation for Parents and Professionals, along with two directories that may be helpful if you are seeking a provider with lived experience, who is neurodiversity-affirming, and/or PDA-competent.

Hi there! I’m Courtney Hart, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Board Approved Supervisor based in Maryland.

I specialize in client-centered, affirming therapy for young people aged 8 to 28—those who often feel deeply or may be described as overly sensitive, high achievers, or quirky creatives. My clients sometimes face challenges being recognized and supported adequately; whether due to their high performance in academic settings or behaviors that seem 'too much' for adults to handle consistently. They navigate complex worlds dealing with anxiety, perfectionism, executive function difficulties, mood and energy regulation, OCD tendencies, and struggles with social connections and self-understanding.

Learn More About Therapy With Me

Virtual Individual Therapy

for young people ages 8-28

  • Individual therapy can help clients:

    • Learn more about the way they experience and interact with the world

    • Explore new ways to stress, anxiety, and challenges regulating mood/energy

    • Build compassion for themselves as they uncover their own strengths and connect to their values-systems

    • Find ways to connect more deeply to themselves, their interests, and those they care about

    • Develop effective strategies to help navigate challenging experiences, interactions, or transitions

    • Improve overall mental health and holistic wellness

  • I am a trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming and LGBTQIA+ competent therapist who uses a variety of therapy approaches, individualizing therapy to meet the needs of my clients, including:

    • Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

    • Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

    • Autistic-Centered Therapy

    • Play + expressive arts informed therapy

    • Mindfulness-based approaches

    • Exposure and Response Prevention (ExRP/ERP)

    • Psychoeducation and direct skills teaching

    • Complimentary Consultation Call: Before we begin to work together formally, we’ll connect for a 15-minute phone call to ensure we are a good fit. This call is a chance for you to share what you're seeking from therapy, and for me to answer any initial questions you might have. If we decide we’re a match, we’ll schedule your intake session. Note for parents: All legal guardians must consent to therapy before we proceed with an intake.

    • Initial Sessions:

      • Intake Session: Before we meet, you’ll fill out some important paperwork. Our first session will focus on reviewing key policies, explaining the therapy process, and beginning to explore your developmental history and life experiences. Note for parents: Depending on your child’s needs and age, this session may occur without them, which will be decided during our initial consultation call.

      • Diagnostic Interview: We'll delve deeper into your strengths, presenting concerns, developmental history, and life experiences through a structured interview. This session is crucial for forming a clear clinical picture of how therapy can support your needs.
        Note for parents: For children, to ensure effective rapport building can occur and there is accuracy in information gathering, this may span several sessions.

      • Feedback and Goal-Setting Session: After the intake and diagnostic sessions, we'll meet to discuss your strengths and areas for potential growth. Together, we’ll set at least one goal for therapy, establishing accountability for both of us. Note for parents: I respect the autonomy of all my clients, including minors. I do not impose goals or force participation. If concerns about engagement arise, I will discuss them openly with you. Please discuss any concerns you may have with this approach on our consultation call to ensure we are a good fit.

    • Ongoing Therapy:
      We’ll meet regularly as we begin to work on your therapy goals. Our sessions will be tailored to your evolving needs, and we’ll regularly check in and adjust your goals, as well as the frequency of our meetings, as needed, to ensure the therapy remains supportive and effective for you.

    • Concluding Therapy: My ultimate goal is that you feel empowered by the progress you’ve made in therapy. As we prepare to conclude our scheduled sessions, we'll plan this transition collaboratively, ensuring you feel supported.

  • I am an out-of-network provider, also known as ‘private pay.’ This means you are responsible for payment for service in full, directly to me, on the day of service. Your insurance company may provide reimbursement for some of your cost, based on your plan. Read more on my FAQ page.

    Initial Sessions: The initial phase of our work together involves detailed intake and planning sessions, which require a greater investment of time and resources. This foundational work is crucial to tailor therapy effectively to your family’s unique needs.

    • 90 min. Intake Session: $250

    • 60 min. Diagnostic Interview: $250

    • 60 min. Feedback + Goal Setting: $200

    • Additional 50 to 60 min. Diagnostic Session(s), if needed: $200

    • Written Report, if requested: $150

    Ongoing Sessions:

    • Standard Session (45-50 minutes): $180

    • Extended Session (60 minutes): $200

    More detailed information can be found on my Fee Schedule.

Collaborative Family Therapy

with at least one ‘child’ under 18

  • Family therapy can help you with:

    • Understanding and supporting varying sensory + access needs

    • Clarifying expectations and navigating challenging aspects of family life

    • Navigating variations in communication style, regulation, approaches to parenting, and more

    • Supporting family members with demand anxiety/avoidance and autonomy needs

    • Building connection, coregulation, and effective communication

    • Challenging ableist standards and norms within the family

  • My overall aim is to help families connect back to themselves and their own values as they learn to navigate the constant chatter and change of raising children and growing up in our world. To support families who are ready to collaborate to solve challenges within their home, I use approaches that draw upon the work of Ross Greene, Mona Delahooke, Robyn Gobbel, Alfie Kohn, and other professionals who support a connected and coregulated approach to parenting.

    *Please note, family therapy with me is for families who are ready to approach each other in collaborative ways. I do not work on deep process issues or family trauma.

    • Complimentary Consultation Call: To ensure we are a suitable match for your family's needs, we'll begin with a 15-minute complimentary phone consultation. This conversation will focus on your family's readiness and willingness to engage in collaborative therapy. I will address any preliminary questions you may have. If we decide to proceed, we'll arrange your initial intake session.
      Note for parents of minor children: All guardians with legal custody must consent to therapy before we begin sessions with your child.


    • Intake Session: Before our first formal session together, you will complete some essential paperwork. Then, during our initial intake session, which includes all family members, we'll review crucial policies like confidentiality and informed consent. We'll discuss the goals and structure of our sessions and begin exploring your family's relational dynamics and history. Depending on your family’s needs, some members may participate for the entire session, while others might join for specific parts. 


    • Exploration and Goal-Setting Sessions: During the following few sessions, we'll delve into identifying your family's strengths, areas for growth, and support needs. These sessions might vary in who attends—some may involve the entire family, while others might be parent-only, depending on what we're exploring that day. This phase culminates in a collaborative goal-setting session where, together, we establish flexible but clear objectives to guide our ongoing work.

    • Ongoing Sessions: We will meet regularly at a frequency that supports your family's evolving needs. The content and structure of our sessions will adapt based on ongoing discussions and your family's progress and needs. This ensures that therapy remains beneficial, providing targeted support as your family evolves.

    • Concluding Therapy: My ultimate goal is for your family to feel empowered to manage relationships and challenges without the need for regular therapy sessions forever. As we prepare to conclude our scheduled sessions, we'll plan this transition collaboratively, ensuring you feel supported.

  • I am an out-of-network provider, also known as ‘private pay.’ This means you are responsible for payment for service in full, directly to me, on the day of service. Your insurance company may provide reimbursement for some of your cost, based on your plan. Read more on my FAQ page.

    Initial Sessions: The initial phase of our work together involves detailed intake and planning sessions, which require a greater investment of time and resources. This foundational work is crucial to tailor therapy effectively to your family’s unique needs.

    • 90 min. Intake Session: $250

    • Exploration Sessions:

      • Standard - 60 min: $200

      • Extended - 90 min: $250

    • 60 min. Goal Setting Session: $200

    Ongoing Sessions:

    • Standard Session (60 minutes): $200

    • Extended Session (90 minutes): $250

    More detailed information can be found on my Fee Schedule.

Please note, I am not providing any individual or family therapy services through December 2024. Resources for finding a provider or working with me for evaluation or consultation can be found above!

Group Therapy + Social Groups

I am not currently offering any group therapy or social groups. Please check back for updates.

Parent Consultation + Support

I continue to regularly offer parent consultation and support services via Therefore I Learn.

FAQs About Therapy
+ Telehealth

  • I ask that my clients commit to weekly sessions for at least the first four sessions to allow us to get to know each other and start to work on treatment goals. During your fourth session, we will determine a frequency that works best for your goals and needs.

  • There is no way to predict exactly how long therapy will last as a variety of things can influence the length of treatment and attainment of therapy goals. My goal is for you or your child to feel comfortable navigating the world without therapy in the time that is right for you/them.

  • Specialized training in child-based therapies allow me to connect with your young person in a variety of ways, and help them work towards their goals. I utilize different modalities based on your young person’s interests, and find ways to build therapy into fun, engaging sessions.

  • Yes! I have found that parents being an active part of treatment is essential for children and teens to be successful in achieving their goals. I actually require that parents are actively engaged in their child’s treatment, especially for clients who are 11 years or younger. You will complete an intake with me individually, help to create goals for your child and have opportunities to regularly share feedback about your child’s progress.

  • Yes, virtual therapy has been proven to be as effective—if not more for some—than in-office therapy. It might seem awkward at first, but a few minutes into the session, you’ll likely find that same connected feeling. Most clients make progress that is similar to the progress they would find in an in-office session.

    Even for kids? Yes! Children and teens are used to using technology as part of their learning and processing experiences. Given the right amount of privacy so that their sessions can be as confidential as they would be in an office, children and teens can reach therapeutic goals through creative telehealth interventions just as they would through creative in-office ones. Telehealth also allows for the caregiver to participate more, as they are often nearby, providing more chances for you to learn about what your young person is practicing in therapy and to learn how to support them more. Did we mention the gas and time you save?

  • Virtual therapy sessions allow clients to meet with their clinicians using audio and video over the internet. It’s a secure and convenient way to have therapy appointments without a need to worry about travel time, inclement weather, unexpected traffic or other hassles related to getting to an office. You can schedule and attend sessions directly from a laptop or mobile device.

  • Telehealth is private and confidential, just like in-office sessions!

    We will use a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform to meet.

    I use only secure internet, in my home office with doors shut and white noise machines on.

    We ask that you give yourself and/or your young person who is participating in therapy the same opportunity for privacy.

  • To participate in Telehealth, you will need a stable internet connection and either a computer with a web browser or a smartphone/tablet with the Google Meet app downloaded. You will need a working camera, microphone, and speakers or headphones. A private location is also important; please do not attend while driving or in public spaces that risk your confidentiality.