Meet Cristina

 Why I Started Helping People with OCD and Anxiety

I began OCD and Anxiety Therapy and Coaching because I wanted to create a healing approach that was kind, gentle, sustainable and empowering. When I struggled with OCD and Anxiety myself, it was so hard to find good help. I found treatment to be ineffective, harsh, terrifying and disempowering. I knew that there had to be a better way to heal. After working with 3 OCD therapists to no avail, I took a different approach and worked with a trauma therapist. As I applied the gentle treatments for trauma to my OCD and Anxiety, I finally began to heal and return to life. I realized that the world of trauma therapy and neuroscience had a lot to contribute to OCD and Anxiety treatment. I combined this with my background as a therapist and coach to create my own approach for working with OCD and Anxiety. Now that I’ve recovered from OCD and Anxiety, it is my greatest joy to help others find relief and begin to live again. 

Why I Started Life Coaching

After a decade in child and family therapy, I embarked on a new dream: ‘Work’ that was not only purposeful and rewarding but also FUN and that would allow me to more fully tap into my creative, playful, spiritual self.

I had over the years launched some personal dreams, large and small, of my own— including, serving in the Peace Corps; learning Spanish; finding that perfect job; joining a dance company; meeting—and marrying— the love of my life; and creating a life of balance and joy in the middle of New York City. I’d also found myself, time and again, informally midwifing the dreams and goals of my co-workers, friends, and family members: supporting them in writing books, dancing again, pursuing more meaningful work, and finding healthy relationships.  As a result of these experiences, I learned that I knew how to get others “unstuck” so that they could create lives of purpose, balance and joy.  

About Cristina

Cristina is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and coach in NYC. She earned her MSW from Silberman School of Social Work and a BA in International Relations from Brown University. She has worked in family counseling, as a trauma therapist, as a social worker in a youth empowerment program for immigrant youth and as a trainer. Now she works full-time as a therapist and coach in private practice. 

Cristina is a Certified Havening Techniques^® Practitioner. Havening Techniques^® is a gentle, neuroscience based approach to helping people to heal from trauma, anxiety or stressful life circumstances. She also brings her knowledge of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Mindful Self-Compassion into her work. Further, she maintains a mindfulness, yin yoga and aromatherapy practice and incorporates these tools with her clients. 

As a dancer, Cristina has continued to be interested in how the creative process can be used for transformation and healing. She studied Voice, Breathing and the Alexander Technique with the wonderful Jean McClelland (http://jeanmcclellandvoice.com). She enjoys combining her knowledge of mindfulness techniques and the creative process to support her clients in getting unblocked and in flow in their lives.