Dr. Courtney Stivers, PhD, LMFT

About

Dr. Courtney Stivers, PhD, LMFT is a distinguished Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Summit Family Therapy in Peoria, Illinois. Holding a PhD in Marriage & Family Therapy from the University of Louisiana at Monroe (2013), an MS from Harding University (2007), and a BA in Psychology (2005), she brings a wealth of academic expertise to her practice.

Dr. Stivers's clinical specialties encompass couples and marital therapy, support for those impacted by infidelity, trauma recovery, anxiety and depression, spiritual and religious trauma, purity culture recovery, and women's issues. She serves individuals, couples, families, teens, and other helping professionals such as counselors, medical workers, and educators.

She is credentialed as a CTT (Certified Trauma Therapist), is EMDR Level 2 trained, and has completed Level 3 training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy. Since 2017, she has chaired the Illinois Association of Marriage & Family Therapy’s State Conference Planning Committee.

Dr. Stivers employs a warm, relational, trauma-informed, and evidence-based approach grounded in Family Systems Theory. She values the healing power of safe, authentic relationships and integrates modalities like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to help clients process painful memories and cultivate clarity, calm, and self-compassion.

Committed to inclusivity, Dr. Stivers is LGBTQ+ affirming and offers faith-based counseling upon client request—especially supporting individuals navigating spiritual and religious trauma or faith deconstruction.

Beyond direct clinical work, she delivers premarital counseling, premarital and family therapy, and specialized workshops on trauma recovery, boundaries, and reclaiming self-worth. She also supervises therapists pursuing licensure (LPC or ALMFT) and provides private-practice consultation, helping colleagues build and sustain meaningful, trauma-informed practices.

In academia, Dr. Stivers has served as an Assistant Professor since 2014, teaching graduate-level counseling courses online. She is a subject-matter expert and course designer for CEFS 610: Human Sexuality. Her academic repertoire also includes diverse courses spanning counseling theories, trauma, addiction, group counseling, and marriage & family therapy.

Raised in central Illinois and now residing in Germantown Hills, Dr. Stivers is a St. Louis baseball enthusiast and a self-professed foodie who cherishes time with family and friends. She and her husband, Dr. Ryan Stivers—also a co-founder of Summit Family Therapy—have been married since 2006 and share two children.