My name is Kristin Charalambidis. I’m an NJ-based licensed professional counselor, author, and host of the mental health podcast Out is Through: Personal Experiences and Therapy Soundbites. I began my work in the field interning with non-residential domestic violence counseling clients at various stages of leaving their abusive relationships…which was exactly the baptism by fire it sounds like and remains one of my most rewarding, life-changing experiences to date as I remain passionate about helping people heal from trauma. Then I spent 4 years working in co-occurring substance abuse and mental health treatment at various levels of care (though the bulk of my time was spent in residential treatment) and 2 years in the telehealth outpatient world providing counseling to individuals, youth, families, and couples in a small Medicaid-based agency before branching out on my own. I am committed to helping guide each and every one of my clients on a journey that will hopefully help free them from whatever may be weighing them down so that they can live their lives to their fullest potential.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
In our first session together, we'll start with brief introductions, address any questions or concerns you might have, and then dive into the specific challenges you're facing to work together to create a tailored plan that is specific to your needs. I understand that starting therapy can be daunting, so I strive to create a relaxed and open dynamic where you can hopefully feel completely comfortable to share freely and show up as your authentic self, and I promise to do the same! Feedback is always welcome too... this is YOUR therapy, so if an intervention we're trying isn't working for you, don't be nervous about speaking up so we can find one that does!
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
I have extensive experience treating trauma and focus heavily on empowering my clients. I am also skilled in relationship counseling, managing ADHD, working with the LGBTQ+ population, and have worked with individuals experiencing reentry challenges or who have DCPP involvement. While I have worked with clients as young as 6, my preferred age range is 14- older adults.
Describe the client(s) you are best positioned to serve.
I am particularly focused on trauma recovery and empowerment, relationship challenges, and assisting LGBTQ+ individuals (adolescents and adults) with challenges related to family acceptance and transition. I also have experience in helping clients with ADHD-related challenges.
About Kristin D Charalambidis
Licensed in
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Appointments
VirtualMy treatment methods
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
REBT helps you change how you feel by transforming how you think. We'll work together to identify and tackle your irrational, self-defeating thoughts by critically questioning whether the belief is really true, if there’s another way to view the situation, and what the real consequences are if you hold onto that thought. More often than not, these thoughts are just mean, untrue stories our anxiety is telling us about ourselves, and by challenging and changing these irrational beliefs, we learn to develop healthier, more balanced thinking patterns, which leads to better self-esteem and more balanced emotional responses to life stressors.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Therapy helps you stay present and aware of your thoughts and feelings without getting overwhelmed by them. We’ll practice mindfulness techniques to enable you to better observe and respond to your thoughts in the moment so that you can learn to be more proactive vs reactive in response to them. This approach helps you gain insight into your mental patterns and respond to stressors in a more balanced and calm way. It’s about learning to be present with whatever is happening, without judgment, which can improve your emotional well-being and reduce anxiety.
EMDR
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapy designed to help you process and heal from traumatic memories. In these sessions, we'll create an emotionally safe environment where you can work through and make sense of past traumatic experiences by reprocessing the memories to reduce their emotional impact and help you integrate them in a healthier way. It’s particularly useful for overcoming the lasting effects of trauma and anxiety.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Fun fact: IFS (Internal Family Systems) actually has nothing to do with your family of origin! Instead, we focus on understanding and integrating the different internal "parts" of your personality, exploring and learning to understand the needs, conflicts, feelings, and roles of each to help you gain greater self-acceptance and achieve a more balanced and cohesive sense of self.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We'll work together to identify and reframe your negative thought patterns by learning to recognize distorted thinking, challenge those thoughts, and replace them with healthier, more realistic ones. By changing these thought patterns and practicing new, healthier behaviors, you can improve how you feel and handle challenging life situations more effectively.