LCPC, 10 years of experience
Hi, I'm Christina! I am a LCPC with 10+ years of experience and offer teletherapy to adults from Illinois. I help you better navigate life's ups and downs. My areas of expertise include anxiety, depression, chronic pain/illness, life transitions, burnout, and stress. It's not uncommon for clients to find me when they realize what they feel like they aren't coping well (or at all), but feel unsure about how to make the changes they'd like to make. I provide a soft place to land, assist clients with identifying solutions to their problems, and help clients build their coping skills toolbox.
Our first appointment is all about you! It's an opportunity to get to know you, what brings you in, and what you'd like help with. You'll notice a lot of questions coming from me and that's to ensure I'm getting a well-rounded snapshot so I can help you best. We spend some time talking together about how you envision therapy and goals you might have for our work together. We'll also cover some of the "nuts and bolts" like scheduling, policies, and my therapeutic approach. Building rapport and establishing the therapist-client relationship will be a big priority during our first session. Clients often notice they make more progress when they feel like their therapist "gets" them and so this is an opportunity to ensure we "click". Of course, building our relationship isn't just a first session task - it's something we'll continue to build during our work together! My hope is that you'll leave the session feeling confident about our work together, listened to, and maybe even like you're carrying a lighter load on your shoulders.
One of my greatest strengths as a therapist is meeting clients where they’re currently at in their mental health journey. For me, meeting a client where they are means honoring and respecting you where you're at in your journey as opposed to where I think you "should" be. This gives you more autonomy over what therapy looks like, how it unfolds, and the overall pace of the process. My philosophy is that you are the expert in your own life and know what you need. I value your say in this process to ensure it aligns with your self-knowledge.
I work with clients who are experiencing life changes and find themselves overwhelmed, stressed, or are in survival mode. Clients often come to me when they feel like they're "barely holding it together" and realize how they've been coping isn't actually coping, but avoiding or putting a band-aid on the situation. Overwhelm, stress, irritability, feeling on edge, difficulty sleeping, changes in eating patterns, changes in substance use, pulling away from others, and having a hard time relaxing are common complaints my clients mention. Clients might notice their symptoms are impacting daily life and their ability to navigate it with the stressors seeping into other parts of their life. However, the clients I work with are action oriented and committed to making a change, they just don't know where to start or how to make those changes. And that's where I come in! I'm here to provide you with support and help you build your coping skills tool box.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps us better understand how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence one another. By being able to modify how we're thinking about a situation, we often notice the emotions/feelings we experience and what we do about those thoughts, feelings, or emotions can change. This is a great way to better understand why we think the way we do, what might be keeping us stuck, and how to make sustainable changes. CBT is also great for clients who want some new coping skills!
Clients are unique and how you receive therapy should be, too. With an eclectic approach, I create a blend of techniques especially tailored to your presenting concerns, needs, and goals. We will collaborate to find the best blend of approaches meant especially for you! I commonly use CBT, DBT, ACT, and motivational interviewing with clients. My approach is trauma informed, culturally sensitive, strengths-based, and client centered.