About Kristi
Kristi Rakes is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Independent Social Worker-Clinical Practice who brings 13 years of experience to her work in North Carolina. She focuses on common concerns such as stress and anxiety and helps people who are coping with grief, depression, life changes, and relationship or career struggles.
Her approach is warm and nonjudgmental and she aims to make it easier to talk about difficult feelings.
Background and approach
Kristi uses everyday, practical strategies to help people manage symptoms and meet goals. She draws on client-centered methods to listen and prioritize each person's concerns. She also uses cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful thinking and build new habits that reduce distress.
Mindfulness practices are included to help people calm racing thoughts and stay grounded in the moment. Motivational Interviewing helps when someone feels stuck or needs support making a change. Narrative Therapy is used to look at the stories people tell themselves and consider alternative perspectives.
Over the years Kristi has worked with a wide range of issues including addiction concerns, trauma and abuse, intimacy issues, parenting challenges, and mood disorders such as bipolar disorder. She also supports people facing caregiver stress, aging and geriatric concerns, and end-of-life questions. Sessions are offered in English and provided through video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging.
Kristi aims to help people identify strengths, reduce overwhelm, and move toward clearer next steps.
How Kristi’s Approaches Work Online
Kristi often uses client-centered work to begin sessions, which means she starts by listening and following each person's priorities. This approach helps clarify what matters most and sets goals in a collaborative way.She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and practicing new actions. CBT is useful for anxiety, panic, mood challenges, and habit changes because it offers clear skills to try between sessions.
Mindfulness techniques are included to slow racing thoughts and bring attention to the present moment. These simple practices can help with stress, panic, and overwhelming emotions by teaching short exercises to use during the day.
Finding the right mix of methods is part of the work. Kristi will talk with each person about their goals and preferences and together decide which approaches to try. The plan can change as progress is made or needs shift.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility. Video lets people use face-to-face conversation for deeper exchanges. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or a check-in fits a short break. Live chat and text messaging are useful for brief check-ins, quick coping strategies, and ongoing support between longer sessions.
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Relationship issues
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 13 years
- Licensed
- North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina
- Languages
- English
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