Hi. I’m Christine. It might feel uncomfortable to think of yourself in counseling. Depression can tank motivation. Maybe you're up-in-my-face motivated like a Schnauzer I know with the mail guy. In any case, the change process can require more than shaking the Magic 8-Ball or Stevie Nicks’ tour schedule. If you are too young for those references, I still have your back. You've figured out social media, friends, and even your family don't have all the answers. I don't either, but my job is to help your thoughts not sound like bullies. I will help you authentically connect with improved relationship skills, and I will teach emotional regulation strategies, so your body doesn't feel like it’s being driven by, well, a Schnauzer. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with a background in journalism, gardening, and photography. I am passionate about creating habitats for local wildlife and believe one's relationship with the natural world is impactful to their level of overall wellness. I have taken up kayaking recently and drawn to helping people live their most authentic lives.
Your first session includes verbally reviewing the informed consent and practice policies, the completion of a clinical in-take to inform the creation of counseling goals, and clear communication about the counseling process. The goal is to establish good rapport and an understanding about each of our roles in your mental health counseling.
Healing life’s wounds stirs emotions, but I am good at helping clients feel comfortable in session. I do my part to create a therapeutic alliance where it’s okay to joke and speak frankly. I consider the multiple demographics in which you fall, but I recognize you gain from using an individual and collective perspective as needed. I resonate well with clients, love diving into research on my clients’ particular needs, and seek feedback from clients regularly. I fully recognize being a vocal advocate for social justice issues as well as striving for an ever-expanding awareness takes intentional effort. I relish learning ways to better assist my clients.
I am theoretically and technically integrative as a counselor. This allows me to help clients conceptualize their own symptom expression from multiple perspectives. I am able to assist clients as they grab hold of new empowering beliefs and release others that have held them back. This integration also means that my treatment plans are individualized to take into account details like sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, culture, age, socio-economic status, education, and co-occuring medical conditions and the intersectionality created when client histories include varied forms of trauma.