Kristen Livingston, LISW-S

“Painful feelings are, by their very nature, temporary. They will weaken over time as long as we don’t prolong or amplify them through resistance or avoidance. The only way to eventually free ourselves from debilitating pain, therefore, is to be with it as it is. The only way out is through.” — Kristin Neff

Kristen Livingston, LISW-S, is a skilled, empathetic therapist who values the therapeutic relationship as an integral part of your healing journey.  With a trauma-informed approach, emphasizing attachment relationships and their effects on all developmental aspects of your life’s journey, Kristen is excited to meet you wherever you are on your path and to establish a relationship with you. Building your therapeutic alliance with Kristen will allow you to experience a safe, trusting relationship for honest communication.  Through this process, you can collaboratively establish goals and objectives related to your mental health needs for your therapeutic process.  During this process, your care preferences and cultural considerations will be carefully considered. Kristen is committed to helping you feel comfortable discussing any of your concerns, fears, questions,  or discomfort during the therapeutic process, as this will be an essential aspect of your ability to meet your therapeutic goals. If you’ve had a negative experience in therapy or have fears about the process, Kristen may be just the therapist for you. She has an innate belief that with an openness to the process and a commitment to practicing the skills learned in therapy, everyone has the power within to meet their goals- we, as humans, are wired for healing!

Whether you are suffering from anxiety, depression, the effects of trauma, such as emotional dysregulation (including anger), relationship problems, or other adjustment problems relating to other life transitions or events, Kristen has experience with many modalities, including several trauma-focused treatments including EMDR, CPT, STAIR, etc. as well as CBT or will work with you on identifying specific ways that CBT or other modalities can be utilized to help you find relief from whatever brings you to therapy. Kristen also has experience in teaching and practicing mindfulness skills and DBT, which can offer you a new way of experiencing presence if the pain of the past or the worries of your future often inhibit you from accomplishing your current goals or living true to yourself and your personal values.

Kristen has joined our team with ten years of experience in the field of social work, with the first five working in Community Mental Health in a rural community, which offered a wide variety of experiences, including working with adults, children, and teens, providing counseling/case management/crisis intervention and later supervising those in those roles. Kristen prided herself in advancing her skills, just as she does today, so that rural clients with fewer resources would have access to high-quality clinical services. In her last five years in the field, she has worked with veterans providing outpatient mental health therapy to those experiencing primarily PTSD, as well as various anxiety disorders, depression, mood disorders, personality disorders, etc.  Some of her particular interests include working with

Trauma survivors, those experiencing anxiety, depression, difficulties with managing anger, mood-related issues, veterans, first-responders/law enforcement, those experiencing difficulties in their relationships, as well as those experiencing issues in their relationships, as well as those experiencing painful life transitions or difficulties in important environments such as their family life, employment, school, etc. 

Kristen’s training as a social worker has resulted in her having a strong emphasis on understanding a person within the context of their environment, their culture, and their history. It is important for you to understand that whatever brought you to therapy is much more than just a behavior or a symptom, and Kristen harnesses this approach from your first session together.

Inspired by the history of mental illness and trauma in Kristen’s own family and, at times, the devastating effects and her own history of coping with the onset of anxiety and panic disorder in childhood and adolescence, Kristen takes a common sense approach to help you understand your problem/diagnosis, de-stigmatizing mental health symptoms and helping you process the events that led to problematic thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in your life without shame. Kristen strongly believes that acknowledging our own personal truth brings healing to our family for generations to come.  Kristen has a passion for learning and considers herself a student of her clients and life itself, finding a lesson in almost every opportunity life brings. She is constantly engaged in new training opportunities and readings and is fascinated by the complexities of the human experience.  Functioning from a strengths-based model, she is grateful for each opportunity to be a part of an individual’s healing journey.

During her leisure time, Kristen enjoys reading, relaxing with life-long friends and family, and building new friendships and connections. She enjoys experiencing new things with her spouse and minor son, such as museums,  local craft, and vendor shows and is known for hosting annual get-togethers for the neighborhood children. “Connection” is the theme of Kristen’s life, she has volunteered for various organizations, including Little League, Girl Scouts, and other community events. One of her favorite things to experience is seeing her community come together for annual traditions such as parades and festivals and feeling a sense of pride and belonging. Kristen is a proud Appalachian, a first-generation college student whose personal traits include honesty, integrity, openness, and authenticity.

Kristen is so excited to meet you and looks forward to walking with you on your healing path towards your heart’s truest intentions.