Christina specializes in individual counseling with an ecclectic, yet cognitive behavioral approach.  Through a series of individually tailored sessions, Christina works with each person to form a trusting relationship, identify the areas of disturbance, and work together to set goals to improve the identified areas.  

Depending on your specific wants and needs, counseling can either be short or long term.  

Short-Term Counseling is very solution-focused and to the point.  We will spend the first session getting to know each other a bit, and talking in depth about the presenting problem.  This type of counseling works best when the individual is ready to be very open and honest about the issue, and is also ready to take immediate action.  We will set a realistic, measurable goal,  then will spend between 2-4 sessions talking about ways this problem shows up in your life, how you react to it, and trying different ways to cope, react, and just plain deal with the problem.  The expectation in this type of therapy is that the client is very active in his or her treatment.  "Homework" is given after each session, and the client is expected to do whatever is suggested.  Examples include thought-tracking worksheets, relaxation exercises, thought-stopping techniques, and many more.  Once the client and therapist feel the client has learned the appropriate skills necessary to address the problem in a more productive way, the counseling process is considered over.  Clients are welcome to return for "tune-ups" or when bigger life challenges present themselves.  

Long-Term Counseling focuses much more on the internal processes behind the dysfunctional behavior.  This type of counseling brings to light the deeper factors at work in the psyche.  Over the course of time, daily life events are discussed to uncover maladaptive beliefs about oneself, family/friends, the world, etc.  This can be difficult at times, as painful memories associated with the development of those beliefs may be uncovered.  It is especially important to have established a trusting relationship with your counselor, as that person serves to both confront the client with his or her "demons" as well as support and guide them through the confrontation, reaction, and releasing process.  Once the beliefs are identified accepted, we look for ways in which they show up in every day life, and work to establish new skills for leading a happier, healthier life. 

Initially, long term-counseling ideally begins with the client coming in for weekly one-hour sessions.  After the third or fourth session, we will review progress, and discuss what feels like an appropriate way to proceed.  We will discuss the frequency of sessions recommended for the given issue, and each individual's place in the therapeutic process.  Together, we will determine if continued weekly sessions seems appropriate, or if decreasing frequency to bi-monthly or every-other week is more fitting.  While participating in long-term counseling, most clients do wind up decreasing frequency after a period of time.