Kirsten earned her Master’s degree from Mount Mary University for Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Kirsten is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) that is working towards her licensure as a professional counselor. Her undergraduate education led her to receiving a Bachelor of Science with a Major in Psychology and a Minor in Expressive and Therapeutic Arts. Before joining the school-based therapy team, Kirsten has worked with children and adolescents on the Autism Spectrum and with individuals seeking treatment for Alcohol and Drug Dependence. She has experience working together with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, and life-stressors. Her treatment focus is guided by a person-centered, developmental, psychodynamic, strengths-based, existential, multi-cultural, and trauma-focused perspective. Through Kirsten’s Master’s degree training, she received additional education regarding trauma-focused care and understanding trauma’s developmental impact across the lifespan. Kirsten’s therapeutic approach is an integrative perspective that builds from her theoretical foundations with a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Play Therapy approach. Kirsten believes the cornerstone for any therapeutic relationship is building a space that is fostered in empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard.