Kristis Cartozian

LMFT

It is completely natural to have feelings of anxiety, worry and doubt when starting something new. We are all "hard wired" to be cautious when entering into unknown territory. Being uncomfortable with uncertainty is part of the human condition. Or possibly you have been in therapy previously and had a negative experience where you felt misunderstood, judged or blamed. As your "guide" through your therapeutic journey, I will walk along side of you on your path towards self discovery and healing. Together we will navigate your path and make a map for developing positive coping skills and healthy thinking patterns that will lead to your ability to manage life's transitions and challenges.

I come from a long line of health professionals in my family of origin. Caretaking was rooted in my personal narrative at an early age. I learned that taking care of others required dedication, hard work and tireless hours. I also learned that putting others needs before our own could lead to burnout. I started my helping career at 22 years old, working in a health care setting. I enjoyed providing care to patients and their families, but after a few years working in that environment, I doubted if this was the right profession for me. There was so much trauma, abuse, death, grief, loss, dysfunction, sickness and sadness. I felt discouraged and uncertain that I could make a difference helping others. I was determined to continue on this career path which I knew was my calling. I participated in trainings on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and it was truly life changing. I discovered I was not alone in feeling this way. Many "helpers" go into the profession because we are empaths and truly want to help others. Or maybe our co dependent tendencies from our family of origin make being a helper feel like second nature to us. I discovered it is necessary to maintain healthy boundaries and practice self care to continue feeling hopeful and fulfilled on this career path. For the past 20 years, I have been on a journey that has lead me on a path of self discovery, healing, learning and acceptance. Listening to my own voice and what resilience means to me. As the saying goes, "you must put on your own oxygen mask on first before you can help someone else to breathe". I have made it my life goal to "put on my oxygen mask first" and support others on their own therapeutic journey. I am honored to be with you and your family on this sometimes rocky road through life.

My approach to therapy integrates an empathic and supportive style with active treatment that is informed by scientific findings. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and skills-based approaches. I believe in mind-body awareness and incorporate mindfulness skills into my practice. We will consider patterns in how you think, feel, and behave, and how shifting any of these can help you better reach your goals. My goal is to equip you with concrete skills you can use to enact meaningful change in your life. Mindfulness allows us to become aware of underlying experiences—feelings, impulses, needs, hopes, beliefs, and bodily experiences. Without mindfulness we get stuck in the realm of narrative—the stories the family members have told themselves over and over again about what is wrong with them and everyone else. Mindfulness allows us to drop into the unknown, to bring the witnessing brain to experiences that have been invisible and automatic. With a caring and exploratory attitude, we will discover new things about what is really going on with individuals and how this impacts the family dynamic. My passion is working with families, children, adolescents, young adults through life transitions and stages. Areas that I specialize in are relationships, parenting, co parenting and helping others to re frame their narratives, learn to break negative cycles and patterns and to live a more mindful, balanced, joyful and meaningful life.