Erica Hayes, LPCC

Erica Hayes is a licensed professional counselor (LPCC) based in Kentucky who focuses on relationship and intimacy concerns, trauma and abuse, depression, and major life changes. She meets people where they are and builds a plan that reflects each person's needs and goals. Her manner is respectful and compassionate, and she aims to keep conversations clear and straightforward so progress feels manageable.

Erica uses several evidence-informed approaches to guide sessions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy appear often in her work, along with client-centered methods and mindfulness. She explains techniques plainly and picks tools that match the problem at hand rather than relying on a single method.

In practice Erica helps people untangle communication problems, commitment and control worries, attachment and abandonment concerns, and challenges tied to family of origin or blended family dynamics. She also addresses body image, eating-related issues, caregiver stress, and concerns connected to BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture. Sessions focus on practical steps, clearer choices, and skills people can use between meetings.

Erica holds a degree from the University of the Cumberlands and has four years of professional experience. She tailors session pacing and technique to each client and emphasizes collaboration on goals and homework. The intention is steady, doable change rather than quick fixes.

If someone is interested in working together, they can start by using the site Start Therapy option to complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule according to the therapist's availability.

How different approaches shape online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose values-driven actions. It is useful for addressing avoidance, commitment worries, and shifting patterns that keep someone stuck. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying thoughts and behaviors that fuel problems and practicing new skills to change them. It is often used for depression, anxiety, and relationship patterns. Mindfulness-based work brings attention to the present moment and simple exercises that reduce reactivity and improve emotional regulation.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, try techniques in session, and adjust based on what feels useful. Clients and the therapist decide together which methods to keep using and how to shape homework or skill practice between meetings.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, shorten check-in meetings when schedules are tight, and reduce travel time. It also lets people use mindfulness exercises and skill practice in moments that match their daily life. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT, CBT, and mindfulness exercises to an online setting so clients can work on relationship patterns, emotional regulation, and behavior change without rearranging their whole day.