About Norja
Dr. Norja Cunningham helps people who are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure how to move forward. She works in ways that are direct and practical, helping clients notice patterns and then try different steps to change them.
Her approach is collaborative and down-to-earth, with language that is simple and concrete. With 21 years of experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist, she draws from several well-known therapy methods to match the work to each person's needs.
Background and approach
Sessions may include learning new skills for managing anxiety, experimenting with small behavior changes, or talking through grief, identity, or relationship struggles. Dr. Cunningham often shifts roles in the room - sometimes guiding like a coach, sometimes listening like a counselor, sometimes teaching a new skill.
That flexibility helps people move from understanding their patterns to interrupting them in everyday life. She pays attention to how culture and life experience shape what someone brings to therapy. That means she aims to offer care that fits the person sitting across from her, not a one-size-fits-all plan.
Outside of clinical work she enjoys singing, creative writing, sports, weight training, and travel. Those interests inform a practical and active style of therapy focused on real-world change.
Therapeutic approaches you can try online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice what matters most to them and take small, values-based steps despite hard thoughts or feelings. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, life transitions, and for people who feel stuck and want clearer direction.Client-Centered Therapy focuses on warm, nonjudgmental listening and reflection. This approach helps people feel heard and supported while they sort out identity, relationship, and self-esteem concerns.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, teaches practical skills to change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. It is commonly used for anxiety, mood concerns, and stress, with clear exercises you can practice between sessions.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals and preferences and adapt methods based on what helps most. Sessions often combine elements of different approaches so work feels tailored rather than rigid.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs. Video lets you work face-to-face for skills practice, phone is useful when bandwidth is limited, live chat and text are handy for brief check-ins or when typing helps you express yourself. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and try approaches consistently over time.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Relationship issues
- Grief
- Self esteem
Also listed
- ADHD
- Anger management
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Workplace issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Existential Therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Systemic Therapy
- Experience
- 21 years
- Licensed
- Connecticut
- Languages
- English
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