I’m Kristina, a licensed health professional with experience in offering compassionate support to teens, young adults, and women dealing with disordered eating, body image issues, anxiety, depression, and low self-worth. My goal is to create a safe space for healing and exploration of feelings.. Additionally, I am a certified grief specialist, dedicated to offering grief coaching services, as well as addressing compassion fatigue and burnout specifically for helping professionals who often deal with these emotional challenges in their work..

​Now, as a mother of three wonderful children—two of whom are currently in college and one who is navigating the challenges of high school—I feel compelled to share my thoughts on the pressing need to implement essential skill sets into our children's lives more than ever before. I won't pretend to fully grasp what it is like to be a teenager in today’s world, but as both a mom and a therapist, I have identified some significant differences that stand out the most to me.

For instance, the influence of video games on their development (I mean, I had an Atari back in the day, if that even counts). ​Additionally, they have access to an overwhelming, never-ending stream of information right at their fingertips, which can lead to overstimulation and can prevent their minds from ever truly shutting down. Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok create an environment where constant comparisons are made between different body types and seemingly “perfect” lives, amplifying feelings of inadequacy.

Despite having cultivated some healthy coping skills in my past, I was still not immune to my own insecurities regarding my body—especially as I grew older and began to understand what society considered the “ideal body,” which I often felt did not apply to me. I genuinely cannot imagine how daunting it would have been to navigate through social media during my formative years and the accompanying whirlwind of feelings and thoughts that come with it. How utterly confusing that must be for today’s youth!

Teens today face challenges that are significantly more complex and demanding than those I experienced during my own adolescence. I have learned the importance of validating their unique experiences by not pretending to fully understand everything they go through or dismissing their feelings as merely part of growing up. Instead, I focus on truly listening to their stories, recognizing that each teenager has their own individual path to navigate in this beautifully intricate and dynamic stage of their lives.