Allison Christopher (she/her)

I help people develop healthy communication strategies, set boundaries, and improve their relationships with friends, family, and partners.

I provide therapy for individuals struggling with addiction, often acting as a "step-down" from intensive treatment.

I help people develop healthy communication strategies, set boundaries, and improve relationships with friends, family, and partners. Some patients come to therapy after a major event has occurred (e.g., divorce, estrangement, death), while others come with the hopes of learning more about their relationship and offering the best version of themselves possible in their relationship. I have extensive experience working at each end of this spectrum, and I enjoy this work immensely.

I work with individuals presenting with a range of anxiety-related concerns, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and OCD/related disorders. Much of my clinical practice involves working through individuals' experiences of anxiety, recognizing how avoidance has exacerbated anxiety, and learning adaptive strategies to reduce the impact of anxiety while also learning distress tolerance when anxiety does rear its head.

My graduate school training focused primarily on CBT and its application to a variety of presenting mental health concerns. I typically utilize CBT interventions to identify and address maladaptive cognitive distortions that are interfering with individuals' abilities to function both intra- and interpersonally.

I have specialized training in addiction medicine and I work with individuals to build motivation to stop using substances, identify triggers, interrupt the thought-trigger-craving-use cycle, and develop healthy coping skills to promote long-term sobriety. I also work with individuals who are struggling with a loved one's addiction.

I tend to use an array of evidence-based approaches that are tailored to your particular presenting concerns. Together, we collaborate to identify meaningful goals for you in therapy, and I utilize appropriate therapeutic frameworks for each goal.

My graduate school training focused primarily on CBT and its application to a variety of presenting mental health concerns. I typically utilize CBT interventions to identify and address maladaptive cognitive distortions that are interfering with individuals' abilities to function both intra- and interpersonally. I also utilize orientations that have stemmed from CBT, such as ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) regularly in my work.

All stages of life involve transitions, changes, and upheavals. Sometimes we get a say in what path we choose, while other times we feel as though we've been tossed into chaos. Either way, seeking professional support during these times can be so valuable. One of my passions is walking with people through these big life changes as they adjust to a new reality, and encouraging my patients to recognize and lean upon their own resilience and competence.

Many of my patients experience depression. Some have been diagnosed by a psychiatrist or primary care provider and are taking medication, and they come to therapy to address depression from a psychological perspective. Some have never had treatment or have been unsuccessful with treatment attempts. Untreated depression can be debilitating, and the therapeutic techniques I use help us to understand the root causes of these feelings so that we can effectively target symptom reduction.

Relationship issues are a cornerstone of my therapy. We do not exist in vacuums; our interactions with others (or lack thereof) are a vital part of our daily functioning. Whether you are seeking to improve your communication skills, build a healthier social circle, take a scary step to pursue a relationship, or just understand more about why you are the way you are, therapy can be a wonderful tool to aid in this process.

One of the primary modes of therapy I use is humanistic therapy, which places a strong emphasis on your capacity for self-awareness, self-determination, and personal agency, aiming to facilitate a journey of self-discovery and self-actualization. This therapy is patient-centered, and I focus on you as a whole person, considering your subjective experiences, feelings, and unique perspectives.