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I’m a licensed therapist with a Master’s in Counseling with an emphasis in Child and Family Therapy, and I’m certified in Perinatal Mental Health. I work with children, adolescents, and families, and I also support moms navigating pregnancy, postpartum, and the emotional challenges of early parenthood. I have experience helping with anxiety, emotional regulation, behavioral challenges, and school-related concerns, and I especially enjoy working with children and pre-teens using play and creative approaches.

I work with adolescents and adults and offer individual, couples, and family therapy. I help individuals identify their goals and make the changes necessary to help them lead more productive and fulfilling lives. I am directive, and I provide a warm, caring and non-judgmental environment to explore the issues and life-events with which you may be struggling.

My hope is to help the client and families reach their goals and to provide them with a safe and non-judgmental place to do that. When working with a client, I will assist in allowing the clients to process their feelings and thoughts in a safe and non-judgmental environment.

I am fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and have a strong understanding of deaf culture.

I have many years of experience working with couples, families, adults, young adults, teens, and children.

Many of the struggles that bring us to therapy—anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges, grief, self-doubt, or feeling stuck—have deeper roots than we realize. Sometimes these patterns develop through painful experiences, major life transitions, or family systems that taught us to prioritize others, question ourselves, or adapt in ways that no longer serve us. Therapy offers the opportunity to understand these patterns and create lasting change.

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the spouse of a retired Army Veteran, I've spent much of my adult life living in different parts of the country and world, continually building community and connection wherever life led. Those experiences deepened my understanding of resilience, belonging, and the many ways people adapt through change, loss, and transition. I bring that perspective into my work, creating a warm, compassionate, and collaborative space where individuals, couples, and families feel genuinely seen and understood.

Together, we'll work to understand the deeper patterns shaping your life, strengthen your relationships, and help you move toward a more authentic, fulfilling way of living.

Hello! I'm Kris and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California and the founder of Village Wellness Center, a thriving group psychotherapy practice based in San Juan Capistrano. I have over 25 years of experience in the mental health field, and I specialize in maternal mental health, depression, anxiety, life transitions, relationship challenges, and the unique needs of women and mothers.

I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Sacramento State University and returned to school 15 years later to earn my Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology.

The beginning of my career in mental health started in residential care helping at-risk youth, and over the course of 20 years, my work and experience evolved into leading and developing clinical programs for outpatient and court-mandated facilities while also building my specialty in perinatal mood disorders and maternal mental health in my private practice. Additionally over the past two decades, I was raising my family and actively contributing to the Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano communities.

Through my own struggles with postpartum depression and anxiety, I became a passionate advocate for maternal wellness and thriving families. This became the catalyst to opening Village Wellness Center, where the ability to serve entire families and promote holistic mental wellness with a team of therapists can be achieved.

I’ll help you develop self-awareness, emotional resilience, and meaningful connection. We will seek to understand how your unique past contributes to who you are in the present. My goal is to help clients identify goals that will help them increase their self-understanding, emotion regulation, and relational satisfaction.