Kristi Rakes , LCSW, LISW-CP

Kristi Rakes brings a calm, compassionate presence to her work with people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and major life transitions. With 13 years of clinical experience, she blends empathy and nonjudgmental listening with practical tools to help clients build resilience and move toward clearer goals. She approaches each person from a holistic, strengths-based perspective, focusing on what is working well while gently addressing patterns that cause pain.

Kristi holds LCSW and LISW-CP credentials, which indicate advanced social work licensure and clinical training in the region. She uses a mix of evidence-informed approaches including client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness practices, motivational interviewing, and narrative techniques to tailor treatment to each individual. These methods support a range of concerns such as trauma and abuse, relationship and family difficulties, addiction, self-esteem and intimacy issues, parenting challenges, mood disorders, ADHD, and compassion fatigue.

Her practice emphasizes helping people recognize personal strengths during vulnerable times, develop coping strategies, and find more satisfying ways to relate to themselves and others. Kristi aims to bring a constructive, hopeful influence to each encounter so clients can explore change at a pace that feels safe and sustainable.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Kristi uses client-centered therapy to create a supportive, accepting space where clients lead the conversation and therapists follow their priorities. This approach helps people clarify values, strengthen self-worth, and work through relationship or identity concerns. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, offers practical strategies for identifying unhelpful thought patterns and experimenting with new behaviors - useful for anxiety, depression, panic, and many day-to-day stressors. Mindfulness therapy brings attention to the present moment through simple practices that reduce reactivity and improve emotional regulation, which can aid with stress, grief, and coping with change.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Kristi works with clients to understand their goals, preferences, and life context, and then tailors interventions over time so the work feels relevant and achievable. Licensed professionals and therapists often blend methods to match each person's needs rather than using a single technique.

Online therapy options include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, making it easier to fit mental health care into a busy life. These formats increase accessibility and flexibility, allowing ongoing support from home or on the go while maintaining continuity of care with a consistent therapist.