About Christy
Christy McLaughlin is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and is licensed to practice psychotherapy in the state of Colorado. She has been in private practice since 2006. She graduated with a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Colorado at Denver with a specialization in Couples and Family Therapy.
Christy began her counseling career working with children and adolescents in residential and psychiatric inpatient settings. She has experience with people who have been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders such as Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety and Eating Disorders.
Christy has extensive experience working with issues surrounding grief and loss. She has developed and directed bereavement programs for Hospice and has advanced skills working in a field that is often overlooked and misunderstood. Her grief counseling work is influenced by the works of Robert Neimeyer and Alan Wolfelt.
Christy’s work with couples and families stems from her graduate school training and experience. In her work with children prior to graduate school, she found that it is essential to include the families in counseling in order to have better treatment outcomes for the child. Additionally, she found that couples counseling is highly important as relationships are often a tremendous source of support and sometimes strife in one’s life. Her couples work is influenced by the research and therapeutic interventions of John Gottman.
Christy’s approach to counseling is centered around creating a warm and supportive environment in which clients can learn to feel safe and establish trust. She believes it is critical for there to be a “good fit” between the counselor and client(s) for the counseling process to work. She practices from a non-judgmental stance and works to help clients uncover their own strengths in order to work through their individual and relational challenges. While Christy is a skilled compassionate listener, she employs active techniques to help clients learn new skills and develop healthier ways of living.
Christy works with her clients to understand their unique life story and is aware that past experiences shape present belief systems. She believes that sometimes it is important to revisit certain experiences in order to examine potential negative self-beliefs and replace them with more helpful and beneficial belief systems. Her counseling style is one that places strong emphasis on the individual experience of every person as personal experiences are influenced by one’s cultural context.
As Christy feels therapy is most effective when there is a good fit between therapist and client(s) she encourages potential clients to consider the various experiences and styles offered by different therapists. If you would like to speak with Christy or have questions about her work as a counselor please call or email her for more information.