Christina Foerster

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and an enrolled member of the Coquille Indian Tribe. I have extensive experience supporting adolescents, adults, parents, caregivers, and families across behavioral health, medical, governmental, legal, educational, and social service settings.

My clinical practice is grounded in holistic, culturally responsive, decolonizing, strengths-based, and trauma-informed care. Using a Person-in-Environment perspective, I work to understand you as a whole person rather than focusing only on symptoms or diagnoses. I recognize that your culture, identity, relationships, lived experiences, and environment can influence how you understand yourself, cope with challenges, and navigate the world.

I strive to create a therapeutic space where you feel safe, welcomed, heard, respected, culturally acknowledged, and supported without judgment. Healing is not one-size-fits-all, so I collaborate with you to develop an approach that reflects your values, strengths, experiences, cultural background, and goals. I believe you are the expert on your own life, and my role is to work alongside you as you build insight, strengthen coping skills, and create meaningful, sustainable change.

I support clients experiencing anxiety, depression, PTSD and trauma-related symptoms, postpartum mental health concerns, bipolar disorder, emotional distress, family or relationship conflict, life transitions, stress, and difficulties with emotional regulation. I also work with clients navigating identity or cultural concerns, major life changes, and challenging systems that may affect their overall stability and well-being.

More about me: https://resilienthorizonscounselingllc.clientsecure.me

My approach to therapy is collaborative, compassionate, culturally responsive, strengths-based, and trauma-informed. I believe that you are the expert on your own life, and my role is to meet you where you are, listen without judgment, and work alongside you to identify what is important to you. I recognize that your mental health and well-being are connected to your relationships, family, culture, identity, community, life experiences, and the systems and environments around you.

I use a holistic, Person-in-Environment approach to understand the whole person rather than focusing solely on symptoms or a diagnosis. Depending on your needs and goals, I may incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), the Strengths Perspective, psychoeducation, reflective listening, mindfulness, emotional regulation strategies, distress tolerance skills, interpersonal effectiveness, problem-solving, and practical coping skills. I also integrate culturally responsive and decolonizing practices that honor the role culture, identity, community, and lived experience can have in healing.

Therapy with me is individualized and flexible. Together, we may explore patterns in your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships; process difficult or traumatic experiences; strengthen communication and boundaries; develop healthier coping strategies; and build upon the strengths and resilience you already possess. Whether you are navigating anxiety, depression, PTSD, postpartum concerns, bipolar disorder, relationship or family challenges, life transitions, or everyday stress, my goal is to provide a supportive space where you can develop greater understanding, emotional stability, confidence, and meaningful change.

Your first session is an opportunity for us to get to know one another and begin building a comfortable, trusting therapeutic relationship. I understand that starting therapy can feel unfamiliar or vulnerable, so there is no expectation that you share everything at once. We will move at a pace that feels appropriate for you while creating a space where you feel heard, respected, and supported.

During our first session, I will invite you to share what brought you to therapy, what has been happening in your life, and what you hope to gain from our work together. We may discuss your current concerns, mental health symptoms, relationships, family and social supports, cultural background and identity, important life experiences, strengths, coping strategies, and any challenges or stressors that are currently affecting you. I will also ask questions to better understand you as a whole person rather than focusing only on a diagnosis or symptoms.

We will begin identifying your goals for therapy and discussing what treatment might look like based on your individual needs, preferences, strengths, and experiences. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions, share any concerns about therapy, and let me know what helps you feel comfortable and supported.

You do not need to arrive with everything figured out. My goal for the first session is to meet you where you are, begin understanding what matters most to you, and work together to create a therapeutic approach that feels meaningful, culturally responsive, and manageable. By the end of our first few sessions, we will have a clearer understanding of your goals and the direction you would like therapy to take.