About Christopher
Christopher 'Chris' Gunst is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California with 15 years of professional experience. He focuses on practical help for stress, anxiety, depression, and addiction-related concerns. Chris aims to meet people where they are and create a plan that fits each person's needs.
Chris works with individuals affected by relationship and family difficulties. He also focuses on problems like abandonment and attachment issues, communication breakdowns, and the loneliness that can follow major life changes.
Background and approach
He addresses guilt, shame, and struggles with self-love in straightforward terms. In sessions he emphasizes a respectful and compassionate approach. He values the therapist-client relationship and sees it as a core part of making progress.
Conversations are meant to be direct and supportive so people can try new ways of coping. Therapy starts by clarifying what matters most to the client. Then he helps set small, achievable steps toward better daily functioning.
He tailors pacing and tools to fit work, school, or family responsibilities. Chris encourages people who feel stuck to take a single first step. He offers guidance without judgment and helps people build routines that reduce stress and improve mood.
The focus is on practical changes that make life feel more manageable.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Chris uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques focused on helping people change daily habits and reactions. One common approach emphasizes identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new ways of thinking and behaving to reduce anxiety and low mood. This method helps with persistent worry and mood swings by teaching practical coping steps. Another approach centers on improving relationship patterns and attachment concerns by looking at how past experiences shape current reactions. That work aims to reduce isolation and improve communication.Choosing a therapeutic approach is a shared process. The therapist will discuss goals, listen to preferences, and try different tools until a good fit emerges. Clients help shape the plan and decisions are adjusted as progress is reviewed.
Online therapy with Chris includes video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation, while phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited. Live chat or messaging can be used for brief check-ins or coping reminders between longer sessions. These options make it simpler to fit care around work, school, and family obligations.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also listed
- Experience
- 15 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English
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