Depression, Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Disordered Eating, Substance Use Disorders, Trauma, Divorce, Grief and Loss, Parenting, Stressful Life Transitions, Relationships, Self-Esteem, and Identity Development
Local to the North Shore
Kristie has been an involved member of Chicago’s North Shore community since moving her family here in 2001 and has volunteered at numerous nonprofit organizations. She is the widowed mother of three young adults, all of whom attended Winnetka Public Schools and New Trier Township High School.
Kristie experienced the pros and cons of having children who faced the challenge of balancing academics and varsity athletics at such a large, competitive high school. She recognizes both the advantages and difficulties inherent in both student life and parenting at New Trier. She worked with each of her three children on the college decision process and helped them to navigate personal choices that worked for them; one elected not to continue his sport in college, one became a Division III swimmer, and one a Division I rower. Several of her family members have struggled with mental health and addiction issues, which ultimately led her to seek a career in counseling.
Career
Kristie began her working life as a licensed nursing home administrator after attaining a master’s degree in healthcare administration. She found the counseling of patients, their family members, and her staff to be the most rewarding part of her career. In this capacity, Kristie helped people face issues related to family dynamics, changing roles within families, aging, elder care, and end-of-life concerns.
She discovered the importance of discussing both life meaning/purpose and death and was inspired to explore therapy as a career where she could help people live their best lives by the work of Irvin Yalom. The tenant of Yalom’s writings that Kristie carries closest to her heart in her work as a therapist is to allow every client to matter to her on a deeply personal level.
Working with ages ranging from Children to Adults
Kristie’s work as a counselor has been in various private practices with a wide variety of clients ranging in age from children to older adults. Before that, she worked as a counseling intern in a medical practice specializing in medication-assisted treatment for opiate addiction, during which she saw clients dealing with a broad range of substance use and abuse issues.
Kristie also has a passion for working with individuals with disordered eating and incorporating IntuitiveEating and Healthy At Every Size principles into their treatment. An important component of Kristie’s practice is helping clients to develop insight into the connection between trauma and the development of unhealthy coping behaviors. This insight can be used to help clients develop the ability to substitute healthier coping strategies in order to live a life where they recognize that they are worthy of healthy boundaries, healing and love.
For fun
Kristie’s greatest joy is spending time with family, friends, and the people she loves most. She adores her elderly golden retriever, who refuses to be trained as a therapy dog. She also likes to read, listen to podcasts, and binge-watch relevant (as well as just plain fun) media. She spends as much of her free time outdoors as possible while running, hiking, biking, skiing, and paddleboarding, depending on the season.
