About Kristi
Kristi Rakes is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a warm, down-to-earth approach. She speaks plainly and listens closely so people feel heard. She helps individuals manage anxiety, stress, depression, ADHD, grief, and life transitions.
Kristi uses straightforward methods to help people make small, useful changes. She draws on Client-Centered Therapy to follow each person's pace and priorities. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used to identify thoughts and habits that get in the way and to build practical skills for day-to-day life.
Background and approach
Her work also includes mindfulness practices to calm the body and reduce reactivity. Motivational Interviewing helps people clarify goals and find internal reasons to change. Narrative Therapy is used when reframing difficult experiences helps move someone forward.
Kristi holds the credential LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and also practices with the SC designation LISW-CP. She brings 13 years of experience in mental health and an emphasis on compassionate, strength-based care. Sessions are offered for a range of concerns including mood disorders, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy-related issues, parenting concerns, caregiver stress, and issues around life purpose and aging.
Kristi works with people in North Carolina and conducts sessions in English.
Practical approaches for online care
Kristi uses Client-Centered Therapy to follow the person's lead, helping them set goals and feel respected in each session. This approach focuses on listening and adapting to what matters most to the individual, making it useful for stress, relationship concerns, and life changes.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is used to spot unhelpful thoughts and habits and to build concrete skills. It is helpful for anxiety, depression, ADHD-related challenges, and mood disorders because it targets everyday patterns and teaches alternative responses.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Kristi will collaborate with each person to choose or combine methods based on their goals, preferences, and the issues they bring. The plan can change over time as needs shift.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs. Video is useful for fuller conversations and visual cues, phone works when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits quick check-ins, and messaging supports short updates or reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life while keeping the focus on progress and practical skills.
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Postpartum depression
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Relationship issues
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 13 years
- Licensed
- North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina
- Languages
- English
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