Book a therapist or psychiatrist in Knoxville, TN covered by Cigna

With over a decade of experience, Kristina Villareal brings compassionate, evidence-based care to individuals navigating trauma, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and personality disorders. Certified in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Kristina offers powerful tools for healing, particularly for those processing traumatic experiences.

I am excited to work with clients who feel ready for change, are curious about themselves, their relationships, and the ways in which their experiences have shaped them. I have collaborated with individuals across the lifespan and families across their development to find greater joy, acceptance, and meaning within themselves. My clients describe me as energetic, compassionate, patient and creative. I meet clients where they are and endeavor to walk with them through life's ups and downs. In my work I draw inspiration from Robyn Gobel, Pema Chödrön, and Dr. Raquel Martin.

I am honored to be exploring your healing journey with you. We live in a world where mental healthcare is stigmatized and self-care is a fix-all when what we really need is community care. Healing happens within the context of relationships. I hope to build therapeutic relationships with clients to help them flourish and meet their goals.

I believe meaningful change is possible with the right support. My counseling approach is collaborative and focused on setting goals, building skills, gaining insight into your thoughts and beliefs, and working through challenges together. With more than 19 years of experience in the mental health field, I specialize in helping individuals navigate anxiety, depression, relationship conflict, life transitions, and grief. I’m passionate about helping people learn to love and accept themselves as they are while growing into who they’re becoming.

I am a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) who provides medication management across the lifespan, including children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. I have experience treating depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, other mood disorders, trauma-related symptoms, irritability, impulse control concerns, behavioral issues, emotional dysregulation, psychotic disorders, and substance use disorders, as well as supporting individuals who are in recovery.

My background includes inpatient and outpatient psychiatric settings and crisis intervention, allowing me to support individuals with both acute and ongoing mental health needs. I strive to create a supportive, respectful space where clients feel heard and understood. I also work with families and caregivers when appropriate to support continuity of care.

Do you feel taken advantage of and like no matter what you do, you can't win? Are you a victim of emotional, verbal or physical abuse? Do you love someone who is caught up in the pain of addiction or mental illness? Have you tried everything you can think of but have no idea how to help or what else to do? Are you afraid your partner, spouse, adult child or other loved one will end up in jail, or worse? I get it. Maybe you're just mad. Maybe you're tired of having to handle everything yourself. I get that too.

I believe reaching out for support is a meaningful first step toward creating positive change. As a warm, compassionate, and welcoming counselor, I strive to create a safe, nonjudgmental space where you can be your authentic self and feel empowered throughout the counseling process. My goal is to create a space where you feel heard, understood, and empowered to move forward.

Loving someone who struggles with addiction can quietly take over your whole life. You worry constantly, you smooth things over, you set a boundary and then talk yourself right out of it, and somewhere along the way you lose track of your own needs. If that's you, I understand it in a way that goes beyond training. Alongside my years as a counselor, I've spent more than two decades in the Al-Anon community, and I work with adults who are worn down from caring for, worrying about, or trying to fix someone they love. You don't have to keep carrying it alone.

If you're a parent watching your child struggle, a teen who feels like no one gets it, or an adult carrying more than you know how to name, you're in the right place. I work with clients across every stage of life, from toddlers to seniors, and I understand that anxiety, depression, and trauma don't look the same at every age. Over the years I've sat with people through some of their hardest moments, and I've learned that healing starts with having one person who won't flinch at what you bring into the room.