Christiana Grotlisch

Hi, I'm Christiana, an LA-raised Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a decade of experience working in substance use and mental health treatment settings. I completed my undergraduate degree in Addiction Studies, with a minor in Urban Communities and Environments, and I'm a graduate of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, where I completed my degree with honors and received the Lillian Hawthorne Endowed Award, a Dean's Recognition Award given to graduating MSW students for significant contributions to their practicum placement agency.

My background spans non-profit, medical, and premier integrated addiction and chronic pain treatment settings, including work with high-profile clients. I currently provide clinical care in a university student health setting as a substance use specialist, and I hold a Clinical Instructor/ Clinician Educator position in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

I primarily work with adults and teens navigating substance use, anxiety, mood-related disorders, and major life transitions. I also have specific experience working with executive professionals and athletes. My approach is grounded in social justice and cultural humility, and I integrate DBT, CBT, and ACT techniques through a trauma resiliency lens to help you build skills you can actually use in daily life.

My approach is collaborative and practical. We'll figure out together what's actually getting in your way, then bring in tools that fit your specific situation rather than a one-size-fits-all framework. In session, that might look like identifying unhelpful thought patterns and testing them against reality, building skills to tolerate distress without shutting down or acting on impulse, or learning to make room for difficult emotions instead of avoiding them. I care about the "why" behind what you're going through, but I care just as much about giving you something useful to walk away with.

I'm direct, warm, and a little spunky. I'll challenge you when it's useful, but you won't find judgment in our sessions, just a space to be met where you are. Whether we're working through a pattern that's been hard to shift or navigating a major transition, my goal is for you to leave each session feeling more grounded and equipped, not just talked at.

Our first session is about getting to know each other. I'll ask about what's bringing you to therapy right now, your history, and what you're hoping will be different. You're welcome to share as much or as little as feels right; there's no pressure to have it all figured out.

By the end of the session, we'll start shaping a plan together: what we'll focus on, how often we'll meet, and what approach might work best for you. My goal is for you to leave feeling heard and with a sense of where we're headed.