Christy Barnes

I’m an LISW, Clinical Mental Health Therapist, with 20 years of experience helping adults and adolescents navigate life’s most difficult challenges and seasons, to create meaningful, lasting change. This has provided extensive experience supporting clients from many different backgrounds, from ages 12-90.

I specialize in working with anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and loss, relationship challenges, substance use concerns, anger management, and adolescent behavioral issues. I also work extensively with individuals facing major life transitions, stress, and emotional overwhelm.

My background includes developing and leading intensive outpatient addiction treatment programs, supervising graduate-level social work interns from The Ohio State University, and providing behavioral health and addiction services in both Los Angeles and Ohio. These experiences have helped me build a compassionate, nonjudgmental approach that meets clients where they are.

I believe therapy should feel like a safe, supportive space where you can be honest, feel understood, and develop practical tools for real-life change. My style is warm, down-to-earth, and collaborative while also helping clients stay accountable to their goals.

Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, relationship stress, trauma, grief, substance use, or simply feeling stuck, I’m here to help you move forward with clarity, confidence, and support.

My therapeutic style is compassionate, conversational, and solution-focused. I combine evidence-based approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), solution-focused therapy, mindfulness, and strengths-based interventions, to help you better understand your emotions, recognize unhelpful patterns, and develop healthier ways of coping.

I believe therapy should involve more than simply talking about problems. Together, we'll identify practical strategies you can use outside of sessions to manage stress, improve relationships, establish boundaries, and create lasting change. I'll meet you where you are while gently challenging you to move toward your goals.

Your first session is a chance for us to get to know each other and make sure you feel comfortable. We’ll talk about what brought you to therapy, what challenges you’re facing, and what you hope to gain from our work together. I’ll ask questions about your background, current stressors, relationships, and mental health history so I can better understand the full picture.

There’s no pressure to share everything at once—we’ll move at a pace that feels comfortable for you. My goal in the first session is to create a supportive, nonjudgmental space where you feel heard and understood. Together, we’ll begin identifying goals and discuss what ongoing therapy may look like based on your needs.