About
- Stress and anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting support
About Crista
Crista Shaw is a Maine Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) with 15 years of professional experience. She helps people who are juggling stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and the strains that come from family life and parenting.
She often works with people managing trauma and abuse, anger, and issues around sexuality and identity, including LGBT concerns. Crista also addresses challenges such as postpartum depression, seasonal mood changes, eating concerns, and ADHD-related struggles. She supports adults coping with life transitions and questions about life purpose.
In sessions she uses a straightforward, client-centered stance. That means conversations begin with what matters most to the person in front of her. Crista brings practical tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy when those methods fit the concern and the client's goals.
Her trauma-focused work focuses on helping people process difficult experiences in ways that reduce distress and improve day-to-day functioning. She also pays attention to family-of-origin patterns, blended family dynamics, adoption and foster care issues, and the ripple effects these have on current relationships.
People who choose Crista can expect clear, down-to-earth conversation about goals and steps forward. She asks questions, listens for patterns, and suggests skills to try between sessions. To begin, the usual next step is to review online therapy options and schedule a first appointment.
How sessions work
How her approaches translate to online work
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening closely and following the client's priorities. Online sessions using this approach start with what feels most pressing and build a plan from there. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and introduces specific skills and experiments to change unhelpful patterns. That approach is useful for anxiety, mood concerns, and many everyday problems.Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals and preferences, try methods that make sense, and adjust the plan over time based on what helps. This means the work grows out of the person's needs rather than a fixed protocol.
Session formats are not listed in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit appointments into busy days, reduce travel time, and allow check-ins from different locations. It can also allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight or sessions that focus on practicing specific skills between meetings. Ask about available formats when you arrange the first appointment.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
15+ years
Listed in
Maine
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and abuse, anger, parenting strains, and related issues such as postpartum depression and ADHD.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She uses a client-centered approach and offers practical tools from CBT and DBT when helpful. Sessions focus on what the client brings and on workable strategies to try between meetings.
How much experience does she have?
She has 15 years of professional experience working with adults on stress, family concerns, trauma, and mood issues.
Where is she licensed and practicing?
She is a Maine LCPC, listed as ME LCPC in her credential information and practices from Maine.
In which languages are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English.
Does she work with international clients?
She is not currently accepting international clients.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.