Trauma / PTSD, Grief, Anxiety, Depression
Accepted insurance & self-pay
About Kristen
My name is Kristen, and I have over 8 years of experience in the mental and medical health fields. I graduated from Oakland University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Walden University with a Master of Science in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling. I hold an NCC and am certified in ART and DBT. I work with individuals ages 13-99 across challenges including career exploration, work/life balance, marital conflicts, stress management, grief and loss, trauma and abuse, and depressive, bipolar, and anxiety symptomology. I uncover clients' strengths, values, and dreams to help navigate what brings the success they desire.
I work to make sessions welcoming, warm, and safe—assessing how each client learns (tactile, visual, auditory) and what worked or didn't in past therapy. I'm a "meat and potatoes" therapist: I won't waste clients' time taking the long way around issues. With compassion, I dig to the source, tailoring sessions to each client's diagnoses and learning style.
Are you ready to begin healing and find the person you've always wanted to be? Do you want to explore and accept your authentic self? This can feel scary or unattainable—yet from my own struggles with mental illness, I've realized the strength of an individual and how compassionate therapy can be life-changing. Allow me the honor of walking with you.
"As one who has experienced trauma and mental health issues, I am mindful when speaking with others concerning their experiences by using compassion and patience."
Get to know Kristen
Why did you decide to become a counselor or psychiatric provider?
I have been in the helping field for over a decade. I knew I have always wanated to help those that are struggling since I was a little girl. Working in the medical field and now the mental health field, I have collected critical experiences that have helped my future clients. I believe in offering hope and patience to those in need.
What types of clients do you work best with?
I work best with clients that are ready to make progress. What I mean by that is all of us are in a particular Stage of Change when coming to therapy. If you acknowledge there is something you want/need to change and are willing to take the necessary steps to help you function at a healthier baseline, then I can most definately work with you!
What's one thing you wish all clients knew about therapy, mental health, or the healing process?
The one thing I wish everyone knew about therapy is that the stigma of "needing to be broken, crazy, or unable to help yourself" does not reflect the true reasons for seeking therapy. Admitting you need support, a different perspective, and/or problem/conflict solving strategies doens't make you weak, it makes you strong and courageous.
What can clients expect in their first session with you and in the early stages of therapy?
The first session I like to be completely transparent. I explain what the first session will "look" like and the subsequent sessions. I make sure to ask important questions that will help me drive my tailored tecniques and strategies to the specific client needs and challenges. "How do you learn best?" "What is your goal/intent for seekign services?" What has worked in past therapy sessions and/or with other providers?" "What has not?" Those are just a sample of the exploration I cover in the first session.
What personal experiences or values inform your practice as a therapist/provider?
My personal values come from the parenting style my parents modeled for me while growing up and the experiences I have been challenged with that have helped me set the foundation of important values for myself such as; family, nature, respect, patience and compassion, autonomy, authenticity, creativity, and dignity to name a few.
How do you tailor therapy to meet each client’s unique needs?
Each client has unqiue challenges, symptoms, diagnoses, and cultures that make tailoring each individual client's therapeutic approach vital. Demographics and culture can play a major role in how client's deal or possibly do not deal with struggles. It is not a onesize-fits-all field of practice!
Other areas of focus
Education and training
- Years in practice
- 11 years
- Graduating institute
- Walden University
- Graduating degree
- Master of Science in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling
Additional details
Practice information
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