Kristen Zavala , LPCC, LPC

Kristen Zavala is a licensed therapist practicing in New Mexico. She holds LPCC and LPC credentials and has ten years of clinical experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Kristen is known for working with clients on issues related to LGBT concerns and women's issues.

Her approach centers on collaborating with each person to build resilience and self-love. Sessions focus on practical steps people can use between appointments. Kristen uses straightforward tools to reduce panic, manage mood swings, and address grief and shame.

She often combines client-centered conversations with cognitive behavioral strategies. That mix helps people notice unhelpful patterns, try small behavior changes, and then track what works. Solution-focused techniques are used when clients want brief, goal-oriented plans to move forward quickly.

For those recovering from abuse or other traumatic events, Kristen uses trauma-focused methods to process memories and reduce their day-to-day impact. She pays attention to safety and pacing so the work proceeds at a person’s own speed.

Kristen supports people coping with addictions, intimacy-related concerns, isolation, and compassion fatigue. She also helps with fertility-related stress, gender dysphoria, and recovery after sexual assault. Her style is warm, direct, and practical, aimed at helping people get steady relief and clearer next steps.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Kristen frequently uses client-centered therapy, which means sessions focus on the person's experience and choices. That approach helps when someone needs a supportive place to talk, build self-love, and set personal goals. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is another common method she uses; it involves identifying unhelpful thoughts and trying practical behavior changes to reduce anxiety, panic, and mood symptoms.

Deciding which approach to use is a shared process. Kristen will talk with the client about their needs, goals, and preferences, and together they will try methods that fit. She adjusts pacing and techniques over time based on what helps most.

Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy more flexible. Video calls work well for full conversations and doing skills practice. Phone sessions can be a good option when bandwidth or camera use is an issue. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for brief check-ins, tracking progress, or fitting support into a busy day. These formats let people access consistent care from New Mexico without extra travel.