About Kristen
Kristen Zavala is a licensed counselor who centers sessions on the person in front of her. She uses straightforward conversation and practical strategies to help people handle anxiety, depression, trauma, and feelings of isolation. Kristen draws on ten years of experience in New Mexico as an LPCC and an LPC to guide those steps.
In session she focuses on creating an affirming space for people exploring identity, grief, or recovery from abuse.
Background and approach
She helps clients untangle shame, build self-love, and find steady ways to cope when life feels overwhelming. Conversations are meant to be collaborative and paced to each person's needs. Her methods mix client-centered listening with skill-based tools.
That can mean looking at thought patterns, testing small changes, or identifying immediate steps to reduce distress. The goal is practical change that fits daily life. Kristen has worked with people facing panic attacks, mood disorders, addiction concerns, fertility and women’s health issues, and the effects of domestic or sexual violence.
She brings experience helping clients navigate gender dysphoria and LGBT-related concerns while addressing related trauma. Sessions often include short-term goals and longer-term work on emotional resilience. Kristen aims to help people reconnect with strengths and try new ways of coping.
She supports steady progress rather than quick fixes.
Approaches that fit online care
Kristen uses client-centered therapy to prioritize each person's perspective and goals. That approach focuses on active listening, reflecting what the person says, and helping them steer sessions toward the concerns that matter most. It works well for people who need an accepting space to sort feelings and make choices.She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy, which looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. CBT offers clear steps to test thoughts, try new behaviors, and reduce symptoms like panic or persistent anxiety. This approach can be useful when someone wants concrete skills to manage daily challenges.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Kristen will discuss options and tailor methods to a person's goals, needs, and comfort with different techniques. The decision is collaborative and may change as progress is made.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone, live chat, and text messaging to make therapy flexible. Video calls let people read visual cues, phone sessions need less bandwidth and can fit a short break at work, and messaging or chat can be useful for quick check-ins or ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to schedule consistent care and keep practicing new skills in everyday life.
Questions people ask
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What this counselor works with
Most often
Also listed
- Addictions
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Domestic violence
- Fertility issues
- Gender dysphoria
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 10 years
- Licensed
- New Mexico, Texas
- Languages
- English