About Norja
Dr. Norja Cunningham helps people who are worn out, anxious, or stuck in patterns that no longer work.
Background and approach
She speaks plainly and offers clear guidance so clients can begin to make small changes right away. Dr.
Cunningham holds an LMFT and brings 21 years of clinical experience to her practice in Connecticut. She blends practical skills with supportive conversation.
Sessions can feel like coaching, teaching, or traditional talk therapy depending on what a person needs in the moment. The goal is to move from understanding a problem to actually changing day-to-day habits and reactions.
Her areas of focus include relationship struggles, grief, stress and anxiety, mood concerns, trauma and abuse, and issues around intimacy and self-esteem. She also addresses workplace strain, compassion fatigue, parenting concerns, ADHD, and body image worries.
Dr. Cunningham pays attention to attachment patterns and communication problems that often underlie these struggles.
Her approach draws on acceptance and commitment ideas, cognitive behavioral strategies, dialectical techniques, existential questions, and client-centered listening. That mix helps people learn new coping tools, manage emotions, and clarify what matters most to them.
Clients can expect straightforward feedback, a focus on practical steps, and attention to cultural context and life meaning. Outside of work she enjoys singing, writing, sports, and travel, which inform a grounded and relatable style in sessions.
Therapeutic approaches tailored for online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people notice painful thoughts without getting stuck in them and then choose actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, life transitions, and finding clearer purpose. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thinking and testing new behaviors to reduce symptoms like low mood, worry, and social anxiety. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening, empathy, and guiding the client toward their own insights and decisions; it supports self-esteem, grief work, and feeling heard.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences and will adjust methods as needed. That collaborative process helps decide whether ACT, CBT, client-centered listening, or a mix of approaches best suits a person’s situation.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or people prefer not to be on camera. Live chat and text sessions let people check in between longer appointments or fit short sessions into a busy day. These options make it easier to work on relationships, grief, stress, and emotional skills from varied settings and schedules.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does this therapist help with?
What is the therapeutic style like in sessions?
How much clinical experience does the therapist have?
What credentials and location are listed for this clinician?
Are sessions available in languages other than English?
Which session formats are offered for online work?
How is cost handled for therapy with this clinician?
What are the first steps to begin therapy?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Relationship issues
- Grief
- Self esteem
Also works with
- 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