Kristen Buongiorno , LCSW

Kristen Buongiorno is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in New Jersey with 14 years of clinical experience. She brings a direct but compassionate style to sessions and focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Kristen also supports people facing relationship strain, grief, addiction concerns, and challenges tied to identity, body image, or life transitions.

Her approach centers on the link between thoughts and behaviors, using cognitive behavioral ideas to help people notice and change unhelpful patterns. She also draws on mindfulness practices to help clients stay grounded in the moment. Sessions are collaborative; Kristen treats each person as the expert on their life and works with them to set clear, practical goals.

Over her career she has worked with people affected by illness and cancer, sexual assault, and military-related challenges. She addresses a broad range of concerns including intimacy issues, ADHD, compassion fatigue, caregiver stress, and issues tied to abandonment or adoption and foster care. She also supports those navigating kink, relationship fidelity concerns, and communication problems.

Kristen uses a straightforward, problem-solving stance when needed and will also hold space for difficult emotions. She emphasizes safety planning when required and is willing to have hard conversations that move work forward. Her style aims to balance practical skills with attention to emotional experience.

People who choose Kristen can expect goal-focused sessions that include skill practice and reflective conversations. She offers sessions in English and provides services through video calls, phone, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs.

How evidence-based approaches translate to online care

Kristen commonly uses cognitive behavioral ideas to help people identify thoughts that lead to unhelpful behavior and then try new ways of responding. CBT techniques are useful for anxiety, depression, stress, and many everyday problems where patterns of thinking affect mood and actions.

She also draws on dialectical behavior therapy strategies to teach emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and better interpersonal skills. DBT tools can help when emotions feel overwhelming or when communication repeatedly breaks down.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Kristen will discuss options, try techniques together, and adjust methods based on goals and what feels most useful. Clients help choose priorities and the therapist supports practical steps toward those goals.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make care more flexible. Video works well for most therapeutic work and skill practice, phone is a good low-bandwidth option, and messaging or live chat can support brief check-ins or between-session work. These formats let people fit sessions into workdays, caregiving routines, or when travel is difficult.