Her Story
About Christie
Christie has a special passion for working with individuals with trauma, addictions, criminal involvement, and personality disorders. She also loves connecting with teens and creating a space where they feel understood, supported, and empowered- even if they occasionally remind her that she's behind on the latest TikTok trends! As a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Christie is passionate about helping individuals heal, grow, and reclaim control over their lives. Christie holds degrees in Psychology, Criminal Justice, and Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She also holds certifications in Trauma and Mindfulness.
Christie's approach to therapy is warm, authentic, and nonjudgmental. She believes therapy should be a safe space. She also feels strongly about working alongside her clients to help them recognize their own strengths, develop healthier patterns, and create lives that feel more peaceful, meaningful, and fulfilling.
Outside of the therapy office, Christie is deeply passionate about mental health advocacy, criminal justice reform, and social justice initiatives. Christie also loves having her therapy dog Cece snoring next to her during sessions. You may even spot one of her cats walking across the screen during telehealth sessions. Christie also loves to bond with her clients through music and concert-going! Christie is fully immersed in the twenty one pilots fandom and can even offer some insight into the power of healing through music.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Christie
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my drive and success partially to my grandmother who was a social worker. I learned that she volunteered in correctional facilities and conducted Bible studies with incarcerated individuals. She was fearless in her pursuit of helping others, even if it was untraditional.
I also think that as women in any workforce we have to prove ourselves and work five times harder than men, and so I attribute some of my success to feeling like I need to prove myself in order to have my voice be heard. (Jokes on me- now you can't shut me up when I feel like I need to speak up with the things I feel are important for myself, other women, and humanity as a whole!).
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was: Know. Your. Limits! I know you want to help everyone, but keeping realistic expectations for yourself and your clients is very important.
Being compassionate does not mean being constantly available or taking responsibility for your clients' outcomes. You are there for someone as a tool inside the therapy space, but what they do outside of the therapy office is not a reflection of you or your efforts as a part of their treatment journey.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be open-minded to all of the different populations and settings and don't be scared of that topic that maybe might be scaring you. If you get offered a job with a population that feels or sounds "scary", remember those individuals are possibly at the lowest points in their life. Working with them makes you witness so much gratitude and healing. If you're open-minded, you can witness some really beautiful things.
P.S. Most people will cringe when you tell them you work in a populations with incarcerated or addicted individuals. Make sure you tell them the truth of how beautiful it can be to witness true healing and gratitude. Most of my conversations with others sounded a lot like, "I feel grateful that the individuals feel safe enough around me to share their darkness".
Because that is the truth- their darkness cannot live with you out in the light.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in the field of mental health counseling is the lack of funding and awareness by government officials and insurance companies who have the power to make therapy more accessible for individuals without insurance or a lack of financial means to access mental health services. Insurance companies put restraints on the client and therapist that do not respect the therapeutic process.
Clinical mental health practitioners need to band together to help lobby for more flexibility with licensing restrictions and level of insurance involvement in the therapy space.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I value gratitude, honesty, open-mindedness, being willing to try new techniques/ideas, and being judgement-free. I love to connect with peoples' authentic selves, even if it means I open up to someone about my struggles, too. Our stories are powerful and sharing them with others can help us heal and grow as well as be a source of strength-based inspiration for others.
Every day I feel immensely grateful that people trust me enough to sit with them as they navigate themselves and how they can heal from their experiences.
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