Cristien Storm , LMHC

Cristien Storm is a Washington-licensed mental health counselor with 18 years of experience. She focuses on helping people facing relationship strain, trauma and abuse, anger concerns, and issues that affect LGBT clients. Cristien emphasizes client strengths and partners with people who want a more fulfilling life.

She listens for the practical problems behind emotional pain. Sessions often start by identifying what matters most and what gets in the way. She helps people notice patterns around attachment, control, and communication so they can try different ways of responding.

Cristien works with common struggles such as abandonment fears, guilt and shame, isolation, and mood or panic symptoms. She also supports people navigating sexuality concerns and social anxiety. Conversations are direct but compassionate, aimed at clearer choices and steadier relationships.

Her approach centers on collaboration. Cristien treats each person as the expert on their own experience and builds on strengths. She offers tools to manage intense emotions and habits that create conflict, and she helps people practice new skills between sessions.

People come for short-term help with a specific issue or for longer work on deeper patterns. Sessions may include practical communication exercises, steps to reduce reactivity, and ways to rebuild trust after hurts. The focus is on real changes that fit a person’s everyday life.

Evidence-based approaches and online therapy options

Cristien uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on patterns in relationships and emotional reactions. One common approach she applies helps people recognize attachment and abandonment patterns. That work looks at how past losses or hurts shape current relationships and teaches steps to respond differently in charged moments.

Another area of focus addresses intense emotions like anger, panic, and shame. These methods break feelings down into manageable parts and introduce practical skills for calming the body, shifting thoughts, and testing new behaviors in everyday situations.

Choosing the right approach is collaborative. Cristien will talk with each person about their goals, past attempts at change, and what feels workable. Together they pick strategies that match needs and preferences, and adjust the plan as progress unfolds.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for a full session with face-to-face interaction. Phone works well when bandwidth is limited or for a simpler check-in. Live chat and texting let people share brief updates, work through exercises between sessions, or fit therapy into a busy day. These options aim to make regular care more flexible and easier to fit into daily life.