HI, I’m Kristine!

I help Children, Individual Adults and Families navigate the complexities of life, relationships, and healthy living. 

Are you supporting a child who is struggling to manage BIG emotions? As a parent, you may find yourself wondering what your child needs, how to respond in the moment, or whether you’re doing the right things to help.

Or perhaps you’re the one navigating a difficult season of life—adjusting to a new stage of adulthood, becoming an empty nester, caring for aging parents, grieving a loss, experiencing changes in an important relationship, or simply realizing that the ways you have always coped are no longer working as well as they once did. 

You are not alone, and you don’t have to navigate these challenges by yourself.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who works with children, adults, parents, and families. I provide a supportive and collaborative space where clients can feel heard, understood, and empowered to make meaningful changes.

My approach

My approach to therapy is warm, compassionate, collaborative, and practical.  I believe that you are the expert on your own life, and my role is to walk alongside you—helping you better understand your emotions, strengthen your relationships, identify your strengths, and develop tools that support the changes you want to make.

With a gentle yet skilled approach, I provide a safe and supportive space to tell your story. Together, we will explore your emotions, build stronger connections, and develop healthy coping strategies to help you navigate life’s challenges.

When working with children and families, I recognize that behavior is often a child's way of communicating something they do not yet have the words or skills to express. Rather than focusing only on stopping a behavior, I help children and caregivers understand what may be happening underneath it while building the emotional and behavioral skills the child needs to succeed.  I collaborate with parents and caregivers to better understand their child’s needs and goals. Depending on the child's age, personality, and treatment goals, I may incorporate play-based interventions, mindfulness, creative and art-based activities, emotional-regulation skills, and parent coaching to help children build emotional awareness, confidence, coping skills, and resilience. 

With adults, I offer a supportive space to explore both what you are experiencing now and the patterns, relationships, or circumstances that may be contributing to feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck. Whether you are navigating grief, stress, changing family roles, relationship difficulties, caregiving responsibilities, or another major life transition, we will identify what matters most to you and develop realistic goals and strategies for moving forward. 

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. I earned my Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, with an emphasis in children and families.

My education and clinical experience have given me a strong foundation for understanding clients within the context of their families, relationships, environments, and life experiences. This perspective allows me to support not only the person experiencing a challenge, but also the relationships and systems that can play an important role in healing and lasting change.

Getting started

Reaching out for therapy can feel vulnerable, especially when you have been trying to manage things on your own for a long time. You do not need to have everything figured out before you begin.

Whether you are looking for support for your child, yourself, or your family, I would be honored to meet you where you are and help you determine what comes next.

Together, we can work toward greater understanding, healthier coping, stronger relationships, and meaningful changes that extend well beyond the therapy room.