Christian Savoie
I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who works with individuals and couples navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, addiction, relationship challenges, life transitions, and patterns that can leave them feeling stuck or disconnected. My style is warm, down-to-earth, compassionate, and collaborative. I listen deeply without judgment while also offering honest reflection, insight, and practical tools to help you create meaningful change. Many people come to therapy believing something is wrong with them. I approach things differently. I believe our emotional struggles, coping strategies, and relationship patterns often make much more sense when we understand the experiences that shaped them. Rather than simply focusing on symptoms, I help clients become curious about what is happening beneath the surface, why certain patterns developed, how they may have helped you cope or protect yourself, and whether they are still serving you today. Therapy with me is a place where you can show up as you are. You don’t need to have everything figured out, know exactly what to say, or pretend that everything is okay. Together, we’ll work toward greater self-understanding, reconnecting with your strengths, developing healthier ways of coping and relating, and creating changes that feel meaningful and sustainable in your life.
First session
Your first session is an opportunity for us to get to know one another and begin understanding what brought you to therapy. There’s no expectation that you tell your whole story at once or know exactly where to begin. We’ll move at a pace that feels manageable while talking about what you’ve been experiencing, what feels most important right now, and what you would like to be different. I’ll ask questions, listen carefully, and begin helping you make connections between what you’re experiencing now and the patterns or experiences that may be contributing to it. Whether I’m working with an individual or couple, my goal is for you to leave the first session feeling heard, understood, and clearer about how we might move forward together.
Strengths
One of my strengths is balancing compassion with honesty. I can sit with you and make space for difficult emotions, but I also won’t shy away from gently challenging patterns that may be keeping you stuck. I’m attentive, curious, and genuinely engaged in our conversations, and I want therapy to feel like a real interaction rather than a clinical or scripted experience. I also adapt my approach to the person in front of me. Some moments call for reflection and support, while others call for practical tools, a different perspective, or a little push toward something new. My goal is for you to feel both supported and challenged in ways that help you move forward.
Ideal clients
My ideal client may be feeling stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure why the same patterns keep showing up in their life or relationships. They may be navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, addiction, relationship difficulties, or a major life transition. Sometimes they know exactly what they want to work on; other times, they simply know that something needs to change. I work well with clients who are curious about themselves and willing to look beneath the surface, even when they aren’t sure where to begin. You don’t need to come to therapy with everything figured out. Together, we can explore how past experiences have shaped the ways you cope, protect yourself, relate to others, and respond to difficult emotions. My goal is to help you better understand these patterns, reconnect with your strengths, and develop healthier ways of moving through your life and relationships.
Origin story
I was drawn to becoming a therapist because I’ve always been interested in understanding people, the experiences that shape us, the patterns we develop, and what helps us grow and change. I value being able to create a space where someone can feel genuinely heard and understood, especially during times when life feels overwhelming or uncertain. What continues to make this work meaningful to me is seeing what can happen when people begin understanding themselves differently, recognize that change is possible, and start making choices that feel more aligned with the life and relationships they want.
Ongoing work together
As our work continues, we’ll move beyond simply talking about what is happening and begin understanding the patterns underneath it. Depending on your needs, our sessions may include reflection, practical coping strategies, exploring past experiences, challenging unhelpful beliefs, processing trauma, or developing healthier ways of relating to yourself and others. I draw from approaches including IFS, EMDR, Brainspotting, CBT, and self-compassion, tailoring our work to you rather than expecting you to fit into one particular approach. Progress can look different for everyone. You may notice that you understand your reactions sooner, feel less controlled by old patterns, recover more quickly when something triggers you, communicate differently in relationships, set healthier boundaries, or respond to yourself with greater compassion. We’ll regularly check in about what is helping, what isn’t, and whether our work is moving you toward the changes you want.
Treatment methods
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
I use Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help you better understand the different parts of yourself that influence how you think, feel, and respond. For example, one part of you may want connection while another pulls away to avoid getting hurt, or one part may be highly self-critical because it believes pushing you harder will protect you from failure or rejection. Rather than judging or trying to get rid of these reactions, we approach them with curiosity and compassion. Together, we explore what these parts may be trying to protect you from and the experiences that shaped them. As you develop a different relationship with these parts of yourself, there can be more room for self-understanding, choice, and compassion instead of automatically responding from old patterns. I often integrate IFS into trauma work and use it alongside other approaches based on your needs and goals.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Agnostic
Man
Top specialties
Anxiety
Attachment Issues
Trauma and PTSD
Other specialties
ADHD
Addiction / Substance Use
Burnout
Childhood / Intergenerational Trauma
Codependency
Couples Counseling
Emotional Regulation
First Responders/Healthcare Workers
Life Transitions
Self Esteem
Serves
Adults (18 to 64)
Couples Counseling
Individual Therapy
Man
Teenagers (13 to 17)
Transgender
Doesn't specialize in
Autism
Chronic Illness
Chronic Illness / Medical Issues
Eating Disorders
Family Therapy
Fertility & Reproduction Issues
Foster Care/Adoption
Gambling Addiction
Health/Medical Issues
High Clinical Acuity
Learning / School Challenges
Learning Disabilities
Perinatal / Postpartum
Perinatal Mental Health
Postpartum
Women's Issues
Licensed in
CaliforniaLicense 164068