Meet Krystina | Washington & Florida Counselor
My path to becoming a therapist did not start in a classroom. It started with a story.
Before therapy, my world was dance, theatre, and performance art. I was always drawn to the human condition.
To the beauty and the brokenness. To the mystery of what it means to be alive in a world that is hard and good at the same time.
Even then, I wanted to understand how to love people well in a broken world.
I spent time studying theology while working in commercial dance and film. I was drawn to the entertainment industry because of the power of storytelling. The way a story can reach the heart, make meaning, and leave something behind that lasts. And the way it bears witness to what it means to be human.
My time in graduate school led me into my own deeper story work. It was there that I became captivated by the process of healing from trauma, grief, and addiction.
Watching people step into a new way of living felt like redemption made visible.
Like the sacred showing up right here on earth.
I have worked in community mental health with people who were unhoused, navigating addiction, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. I have also worked in high-level treatment centers with complex and co-occurring needs.
Across all of it, one thing has remained true:
Healing is not about erasing what happened.
It is about re-orienting to life again.
What Healing Means to Me
To be human means we will experience pain and suffering – that part is unavoidable. But we do not have to add to it.
Much of my work is helping people move out of unnecessary suffering and into the present moment, especially where anger and grief intersect.
I believe we are not responsible for what happened to us. But we are responsible for our healing.
That includes understanding how we were vulnerable, and learning how to care for and protect ourselves moving forward.
There is a difference between symptoms and the deeper issue beneath them.
Part of our work is learning not to get distracted.
We all develop trained responses to survive. Therapy helps you notice those patterns without judgment. And choose, with intention, what still serves you and what no longer does.
I believe we must move our bodies.
For mental, physical, and spiritual health.
The nervous system needs care, not just insight.
I am passionate about helping you reconnect with your body. Learning how to regulate, release, and slow down. And how to listen to what your body has been holding and respond with compassion.
How I Show Up as Your Therapist
I am known for being wise and steady as I come alongside you as a witness. You know your story best as you have lived it.
I will reflect on what I see, and ask honest questions. I’ll challenge you when needed. Imagine possibilities with you. And hold alternative perspectives when you feel stuck.
I will help you sort through the mess to find ways to contain and move through it.
And I help you re-orient after trauma and grief to unhook the past from the present, so you can begin to imagine a future again.
Over time, my hope is that you learn to trust yourself. That you can learn to care for yourself in ways that actually fit your story, your patterns, and your needs.
Therapeutic Approach
My approach is shaped by years of clinical training, lived experience, and deep respect for the complexity of being human. Rather than relying on a single method, I draw from different ways of working depending on what you need and what your system can tolerate.
This often includes:
Relational, Psychodynamic, trauma-focused Narrative Therapy
Allender Theory and Narrative Focused Trauma Care (NFTC) as seen through the Allender Center
Tools that help integrate painful experiences so they feel less intrusive and more settled over time, including Lifespan Integration (LINK)
Grief -centered care that honors loss
Strength based and attachment theory informed
A steady focus on the relationship between mind, body, and spirit; body-based awareness
My background in dance and theatre informs this work in quiet but meaningful ways. It helps me notice what is expressed beyond words and invites you back into a safer relationship with your body when it feels appropriate.
I have spent years working with people navigating trauma, grief, addiction, recovery, and major life transitions. Including sudden or unexpected loss, profound medical events, and moments that reshape how you see yourself and your future.
A final invitation for you…
Therapy is a process of re-orienting. Coming back to where you are now.
There is space here for grief, anger, and acceptance, and for letting go of what no longer fits. It’s time to tend to the life that is asking to be lived.
If this resonates with you and you feel the slight tug to begin, let’s talk. Schedule a call today.