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Kristina MacDonald

Therapist profile

Kristina MacDonald, LMHC

New York

Licensed Mental Health Counselor - Family and parenting topics

Continue with Kristina

About

  • Stress and anxiety
  • Parenting support
  • CBT and ACT methods

About Kristina

Kristina MacDonald is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in New York with eight years of clinical experience. She focuses on concerns commonly lived out at home, including stress, anxiety, relationship strain, parenting challenges, and the emotional impacts of major life changes.

Clients often come because they feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or exhausted while appearing fine to others. Kristina talks through what’s happening and helps people build clearer routines and practical coping skills. She addresses mood concerns such as depression and bipolar symptoms, as well as attention challenges like ADHD and issues related to addiction.

Her approach draws on evidence-based methods. Kristina uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify thinking patterns that keep problems going. She brings Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to questions of values and motivation. Mindfulness and client-centered techniques are woven in to help people notice what matters and make steady changes.

She also helps with family-related topics that affect an individual’s day-to-day life. These include blended family adjustments, communication problems, family of origin issues, caregiver stress, and parenting strains. She works with people coping with grief, trauma, abandonment, and sexual or intimacy-related worries.

Sessions are conversational and goal focused. Kristina often uses short exercises between meetings to track progress. People who prefer straightforward, practical steps to manage emotions and relationships tend to find this approach clear and usable.

How sessions work

How her approaches translate to online work

Kristina uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and try small behavioral experiments. CBT is useful for anxiety, low mood, and pattern-based problems such as avoidance or overthinking.

She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to clarify personal values and take committed steps toward them, even when emotions are difficult. ACT can help with motivation, caregiving stress, and decisions that involve competing priorities.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Kristina will discuss your goals and preferences and adapt methods to what helps you most. That might mean more skills practice, short between-session tasks, or conversations about relationship patterns and parenting choices; she aims to decide the mix together.

The biography does not list specific online session formats, so please confirm current options before booking. Many people appreciate online sessions because they can fit meetings around work, errands, and childcare. Others like shorter check-ins when time is tight, or using video when a visual connection helps. Talk with Kristina about what fits your routine and she can help arrange sessions that match your availability and communication preferences.

Areas of focus

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesSelf esteemCareer difficultiesDepression

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseGriefIntimacy-related issuesParenting issuesAnger managementBipolar disorderCoping with life changesCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAttachment issuesBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCo-morbidityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsControl issuesDisruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)Divorce and separationEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFertility issuesForgivenessGuilt and shameImpulsivityInfidelityIntellectual disabilityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMoney and financial issuesMood disordersNarcissismPanic disorder and panic attacksParanoiaPersonality disordersPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingSolution-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems

Experience

8+ years

Listed in

New York

Languages

English

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of concerns does she address related to family life?

She helps with parenting strain, blended family adjustments, communication problems, and family of origin issues that affect daily life.

What therapeutic style does she use in sessions?

She combines Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, client-centered work, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing in a practical way.

How many years has she been practicing?

She has eight years of clinical experience working with adults on mood, anxiety, relationship, and parenting concerns.

What credential does she hold and where does she practice?

She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) licensed in New York.

Does she run sessions in other languages or accept international clients?

Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients at this time.

What session formats are available?

The original biography does not specify session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.

How are costs handled for sessions?

Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working 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.

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Kristina MacDonald

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