About Crista
Crista Lonergan draws on acceptance-focused and skills-based approaches to help people manage stress, anxiety, and emotional turmoil. Crista is an LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor) with ten years of practice in Ohio. Sessions are conversational and practical, aimed at helping people feel steadier day to day.
Crista helps people sort through family conflicts, grief, and relationship strains. She also supports those dealing with trauma, issues around identity and sexuality, and struggles with self-esteem and motivation.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on small, doable changes rather than big, abstract goals. Her approach mixes Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with client-centered listening. That means people learn to notice unhelpful thoughts, practice new behavior patterns, and clarify personal values.
Mindfulness and DBT skills are used when emotion regulation or distress tolerance is needed. Crista offers direct, respectful conversations where people are invited to share at their own pace. She works in both English and Spanish.
The tone in sessions is warm and straightforward, with practical tools and collaborative goal setting. Over a decade of experience has included work with adoption and foster care concerns, autism-related issues, parenting challenges, and multicultural or immigration-related stress. Crista also addresses topics like eating concerns, intimacy-related issues, ADHD, and non-monogamous relationship dynamics.
The focus stays on what the individual wants to change and what will help them feel more capable. People who meet with Crista typically leave with clear next steps, skill practice, and a plan for coping with life changes and setbacks.
How approach and online formats work together
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small steps toward those values while learning to accept uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying unhelpful thought patterns and practicing concrete behavior changes to reduce anxiety and mood symptoms. Attachment-Based ideas guide conversations about how early relationships shape current patterns and help people try new ways of connecting when relationship issues are central.Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. Crista will discuss goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, then tailor methods to the person's needs. This collaborative process means approaches can shift as progress is made or new challenges arise.
Online formats provide practical flexibility. Video calls let people use visual cues and a fuller conversation. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text-based messaging offer brief check-ins, skill practice, or shorter sessions that fit between work or family responsibilities. These options make it easier to keep consistent care and practice skills in daily life.
Questions people ask
What concerns does she address?
What is her therapeutic style?
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Which languages are supported?
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How does cost and scheduling work?
What this counselor works with
Most often
Also listed
- ADHD
- Adoption and foster care
- Anger management
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Eating disorders
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Immigration issues
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Parenting issues
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 10 years
- Licensed
- Ohio
- Languages
- English, Spanish