Kristina Young, LCMFT

• Do you offer virtual sessions? Yes. While I do have plans to open a physical office as my practice grows, right now I offer virtual sessions exclusively. • What happens in the first session? Ideally, we've already had a 15-30 minute consultation to confirm that I'm a good fit for you. The first session is about exploring what you hope to gain from therapy while also getting to know each other. I'll spend some time talking about practice policies as well as outlining my legal and ethical duties to you as part of the informed consent process, and I'll ask you to tell me what your hopes are for our time together. I'll begin asking more detailed questions about your current concerns, and by the end I'll propose some initial ideas about how we might approach your goals. • How often do sessions typically occur? Typically, clients meet 1x week to begin, adding or tapering off session frequency as needed. • How can someone know if you are the right fit? Increasing self-trust is often a fringe-benefit (or maybe primary benefit!) of therapy, and it begins in our first few sessions as you decide whether or not I'm the right fit for you. Only you can know if you feel safe and comfortable with someone. If it's not me, we'll work together to find someone else- ultimately, I just want you to get the support you need.

For both personal and professional reasons, I am extraordinarily passionate about the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). People with OCD tend to be deeply feeling, complex thinkers and "noticers" of that which is often missed by others. It is in accordance with that complexity and sensitivity that I utilize a combination of complimentary evidence-based practices (i.e., CBT, ERP, ACT) to support clients with OCD in achieving their therapy goals. What is somewhat unique about my approach is the way that I think and talk about OCD parts, which are often mislabeled as "monsters" or "bullies." In my personal and professional experience, I haven't found demonizing OCD symptoms to be particularly helpful. Instead, I support clients to befriend all parts of themselves, including OCD parts. Once their historical function is better understood, these OCD parts will often loosen their hold, allowing a client increased freedom and emotional agility.

I believe that, as Dr. Becky Kennedy says, "All symptoms in adulthood were once adaptations in childhood." I see a "disorder" as a constellation of symptoms that were once helpful but may have outlived their helpfulness as a person ages. If these symptoms or adaptations can be honored and understood, rather than pathologized, within the context of a safe relationship, they can be transformed.