A Journey to Becoming You
My goal is to help you discover the person you aspire to become. I will work with you to uncover the untapped strengths, talents, and inner resources that can support you in navigating life’s challenges to create a more balanced and fulfilled life.
I will meet you exactly where you are, honoring your story with compassion, and supporting you in building a personalized path toward meaningful change, healthy growth, and emotional well-being.
It's truly commendable that you've taken this courageous step toward prioritizing your mental well-being. As a licensed therapist, I, Kristine Gustafson, am here to walk alongside you on this journey of self-discovery and healing. Your decision to seek support reflects a deep commitment to your personal growth and overall happiness.
In my practice, I draw upon a wealth of experience and expertise, combining various therapeutic modalities such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, Christian based and humanistic approaches. Together, we'll create a safe and non-judgmental space where you can freely explore your thoughts, emotions, and experiences. My goal is to empower you to navigate life's challenges with resilience and confidence.
I'm typically available for sessions from Monday through Thursday, with morning and evening slots, as well as throughout the day on Friday and Saturday (US central standard time). While scheduling is your responsibility, I'm here to assist you every step of the way.
Remember, therapy is most effective when approached with dedication and consistency. By committing to your mental health journey and actively engaging in our sessions, you're taking meaningful strides toward positive change and personal growth.
I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to work with you, supporting you as you embrace a happier, more fulfilling life.
Warm regards,
Kristine Gustafson, MS, LPC
Focus Areas
STRESS & ANXIETY For stress and anxiety, CBT helps individuals identify triggers and challenge exaggerated fears, teaching coping mechanisms like relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and problem-solving skills. This process reduces feelings of overwhelm and improves the ability to manage stressful situations.
DEPRESSION In treating depression, CBT focuses on reframing negative thoughts that lead to feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness. It encourages individuals to engage in positive activities and set realistic goals, which can help lift their mood and break the cycle of depressive thinking.
TRAUMA & ABUSE SURVIVORS For trauma and abuse survivors, CBT provides a safe space to process painful memories and reduce the emotional impact. It helps individuals reframe traumatic events and develop healthy coping strategies to deal with flashbacks or triggers.
SELF ESTEEM CBT also enhances self-esteem by challenging self-critical beliefs and promoting self-acceptance. It’s especially useful during life transitions, helping people navigate changes with resilience and improved problem-solving skills. Through consistent practice, individuals gain the tools to regain control over their emotions and improve their overall well-being.
CHRONIC DISEASE Chronic disease counseling using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on helping individuals manage the emotional and psychological challenges that come with living with a chronic illness. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, or chronic pain can cause significant emotional stress, leading to depression, anxiety, frustration, and a diminished quality of life. CBT provides tools to help individuals better cope with these challenges by addressing the mental and emotional aspects of chronic disease management. CBT in chronic disease counseling helps patients identify and challenge negative or irrational thoughts, such as feeling helpless, overwhelmed, or fearful about the future. These cognitive distortions can exacerbate stress and make it harder for individuals to manage their health. By reframing these thoughts, patients can develop a more positive and proactive approach to managing their condition.
MOOD DISORDERS In addition to cognitive restructuring, CBT emphasizes behavior change. Individuals are encouraged to adopt healthier habits, improve adherence to medical advice, and engage in activities that promote well-being. Techniques like stress management, mindfulness, goal-setting, and relaxation exercises help patients manage symptoms more effectively and improve their quality of life. Through this approach, CBT supports individuals in developing resilience, emotional balance, and the coping skills necessary to navigate the ongoing challenges of chronic disease.
PERFECTIONISM & PROCRASTINATION Understanding perfectionism and procrastination through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) involves examining the connection between rigid thinking patterns and avoidance behaviors. Perfectionism, driven by the need to meet unrealistically high standards, often leads to procrastination because the fear of failing or not doing something perfectly creates anxiety. This cycle can paralyze individuals, preventing them from starting or completing tasks. CBT helps break this cycle by identifying and challenging distorted thinking, such as "If I don't do this perfectly, it's not worth doing," or "I'll fail if it’s not flawless." These thoughts create an overwhelming pressure to perform, leading to avoidance. CBT encourages more flexible thinking, such as "Doing my best is good enough," which reduces the fear and anxiety associated with perfectionism. CBT also addresses procrastination by helping individuals focus on small, manageable steps rather than the entire task, which can feel overwhelming. Techniques like breaking tasks into smaller parts, setting realistic goals, and practicing self-compassion help reduce the urge to procrastinate. CBT teaches that progress is more valuable than perfection, encouraging individuals to take action without fear of failure. By restructuring negative thoughts and embracing healthier behaviors, CBT provides a pathway for overcoming both perfectionism and procrastination.
CBT integrates other therapeutic approaches CBT also integrates mindfulness, acceptance, and commitment, as well as individual religious or spiritual factors, into the therapeutic approach, creating a more holistic and personalized treatment. Mindfulness helps individuals stay present, increasing awareness of negative thought patterns that trigger perfectionism or procrastination without judgment. This practice allows individuals to observe their thoughts and emotions as they arise, fostering self-compassion and reducing the stress associated with rigid thinking. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), often used alongside CBT, focuses on accepting thoughts and emotions rather than struggling to change or control them. By committing to actions aligned with personal values, individuals can work through procrastination or perfectionism more effectively, even when anxiety or self-doubt persists. Religious or spiritual factors, when integrated, provide an additional layer of meaning and support for clients. Many individuals draw on their faith or spiritual beliefs to find strength, purpose, and comfort during therapy. By incorporating these elements, CBT offers a more tailored and inclusive approach, allowing clients to align their personal beliefs with their therapeutic goals, leading to deeper emotional healing and behavioral change.
Additional areas of focus Addictions, LGBT, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Grief, Eating disorders, Sleeping disorders, Parenting issues, Anger management, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Abandonment, Aging and Geriatric Issues, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Avoidant Personality, Blended Family Issues, Body image, Cancer, Caregiver issues and stress, Chronic pain illness and disability, Codependency, Commitment Issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with Natural or Human-Caused Disaster, Dependent Personality, Dissociation, Divorce and separation, Domestic Violence, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Eating and Food-Related Issues, Emptiness, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, Forgiveness, Guilt and shame, Impulsivity, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Military and Veterans Issues, Money and financial issues, Mood disorders , Narcissism, Obsessions, Compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Personality Disorders, Phobias, Post-traumatic stress, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-Harm, Self-love, Sexual Assault and Abuse, Sexuality, Smoking/Vaping Cessation, Social anxiety and phobia, Traumatic Brain Injury, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young Adult Issues
Kristine Gustafson, LPC
As a Licensed Professional Counselor and Board-approved supervisor in Missouri, I bring over 12 years of expertise to our sessions. My integrated approach draws from cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, humanistic, psychotherapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. Together, we'll customize a treatment plan to address your individual needs, utilizing a range of counseling tools to tackle issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and life transitions, including trauma.
In addition to my counseling expertise, I specialize in compassion fatigue, chronic disease management, and empowering individuals to achieve their life goals. Whether you're grappling with the demands of caregiving, navigating chronic health conditions, or seeking to regain control of your life, I'm here to support and guide you toward positive change and fulfillment.
I strive to cultivate a welcoming and non-judgmental space where you can freely express your thoughts and emotions. Embarking on a journey toward a more fulfilling life can evoke a mix of emotions—fear, excitement, and stress. I'm here to provide unwavering support and empowerment as you navigate this path. Together, we'll identify and address any obstacles hindering your progress, enhancing your coping mechanisms and response strategies to help you realize your true potential and live the life you deserve.
Main Clinical Approach
COGNITIVE BEAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps individuals identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to emotional distress. It is based on the idea that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected, and by changing unhelpful or distorted thinking, we can improve our emotions and actions. CBT is highly structured and goal-oriented, typically focusing on specific problems that an individual is experiencing. It is often short-term, ranging from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the complexity of the issues. The therapist works closely with the individual to challenge irrational or unproductive thoughts (cognitive distortions), such as catastrophizing, overgeneralizing, or all-or-nothing thinking, and to replace them with more balanced, realistic perspectives. In addition to addressing thought patterns, CBT also targets behaviors. Patients are encouraged to practice new coping skills and healthier behaviors to deal with challenging situations. Techniques like journaling, mindfulness, exposure therapy, and relaxation exercises may be incorporated to help individuals confront fears, manage stress, and develop a more positive mindset. CBT is widely used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Its evidence-based approach makes it one of the most effective therapies for managing mental health challenges, helping individuals gain control over their thoughts and behaviors, leading to lasting emotional and psychological well-being. CBT is highly effective for managing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, abuse, self-esteem issues, and coping with life changes. It works by identifying and challenging negative thought patterns that contribute to emotional distress. By recognizing the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, individuals can develop healthier ways of thinking, which leads to better emotional responses and behaviors.
Complementary Approaches
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Client-Centered Therapy
• Mindfulness Therapy
• Motivational Interviewing
• Narrative Therapy
• Solution-Focused Therapy
Get to Know Me
Counseling is about helping people with life's transitions. As seasons change so do people, and often people resist change. This resistance can cause some issues like lack of concentration, change of appetite, lack of motivation, feeling sad, trapped, or hopeless, insomnia, agitation over normal life events, fatigue, and even unexplained physical pain.
It is my goal at InnerU Counseling Services to help you get back on track or change the track you were on all together. Sometimes therapy is about getting the issues on the table and dealing with them one step at a time. Other times it is about letting go of feelings that are hindering your progression, or making peace with a loved one. Whatever the issue, we work through it together in a safe and private environment that truly focuses on taking care of you! People are often surprised by the results they see in themselves after committing to taking care of their needs first.
Testimonials
In just a few sessions, Mrs Kristine Gustafson helped me unpacked my past trauma and anger, which were very much bottled up emotions and un-navigated bad memories. She listens, she's friendly, kind and a really good listener. I hope reading my review would intrigue you to have Mrs Kristine as your counsellor :D
Written on Sep 02, 2024 after therapy with Kristine for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, sleeping disorders, parenting issues, anger management, and ADHD
Book an Appointment
All appointments are via Zoom or phone.
Block of 4 sessions: $250 (45 min per session)
Returning clients: Email me to set an appointment.
First-Time Consultation: $75 (45min)
An introductory session designed to assess client needs, review relevant history, identify goals, and determine the most appropriate counseling approach. This session allows the client to ask questions, learn about available services, and establish the foundation for an effective therapeutic relationship.