Therapist profile
Kristi Rakes, LCSW, LISW-CP
Licensed clinical social worker - Family and parenting concerns
Continue with KristiAbout
- Stress and anxiety
- CBT techniques
- Mindfulness practices
About Kristi
Kristi Rakes is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Licensed Independent Social Worker-Clinical Practice (LISW-CP) in North Carolina with 13 years of experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, grief, low self-esteem, depression, life changes, addiction concerns, relationship and family issues, parenting strain, trauma and abuse, and related mood or behavioral concerns. Sessions are conducted in English and international clients are not accepted.
Kristi uses straightforward talk and practical strategies in sessions. She combines client-centered listening with cognitive behavioral techniques and mindfulness practices. She also draws on motivational interviewing and narrative methods to help people rethink unhelpful patterns and imagine different possibilities for everyday life.
Her background includes extensive experience in mental health work and care around end-of-life issues. Kristi has worked across settings where people cope with grief, caregiver stress, and chronic life transitions. That practical history informs how she helps people prioritize problems that matter most to them.
In a session she focuses on small, useful changes rather than abstract theory. People can expect to talk through current stresses, identify workable steps, and practice brief techniques for managing mood and anxiety between meetings. She frames progress as steady adjustments rather than overnight fixes.
Kristi also attends to concerns tied to identity, intimacy, and parenting. She supports those managing burnout, compassion fatigue, or challenges tied to aging and caregiving. For people navigating postpartum depression, panic, or obsessive patterns, she offers clear strategies to reduce symptoms and regain routine functioning.
How sessions work
How her approach translates to online sessions
Kristi uses client-centered therapy, which means listening closely to what matters most to the person and shaping sessions around their concerns. This approach helps when people need a steady space to sort priorities, set goals, and track small changes over time.She also uses cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, which focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing practical behavior changes. CBT is often used for anxiety, depression, panic, and problems like obsessive thinking and can include short exercises to practice between meetings.
Mindfulness techniques are incorporated to help people notice stress responses and build simple practices for calming attention and reducing reactivity. These skills support coping with grief, parenting strain, and everyday overwhelm.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Kristi will collaborate with each person to decide which methods feel most useful based on goals, life demands, and personal style. That decision can evolve as sessions continue.
Practical benefits of online work include fitting sessions into busy days and keeping continuity during life transitions. The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to schedule short check-ins, avoid travel time, and maintain momentum between in-person appointments when circumstances make that convenient.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
13+ years
Listed in
North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She helps with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, self-esteem, parenting strain, relationship and family concerns, trauma and related mood issues.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She blends client-centered listening with cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and narrative approaches to focus on practical steps and new perspectives.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 13 years of experience working in mental health settings, including work related to end-of-life care and caregiver stress.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds LCSW and LISW-CP credentials and practices from North Carolina.
Does she provide sessions in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are not accepted.
What session formats does she offer?
Session formats are not specified in the biography; confirm current session options before booking to know whether video or phone sessions are available.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule your 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.