Kristen Parker (she/her)
LSW, MSW
kristen@intrepidtherapy.com
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Through experiential, context-rich psychotherapy, I offer real relief by uncovering who you are, what you deserve, and how you can meet your needs in all the various settings, circumstances, and roles of your life . Together, we'll work to restore your most meaningful relationships and recover from the self-doubt, loneliness, burnout, and dread that can feel inescapable in modern life.
Even though much of life has returned to "normal" since the pandemic, many of us don't feel "back to normal" inside. We see the strain everywhere, but especially in our marriages and partnerships, our parenting, and within ourselves. Traditional psychotherapy often focuses on individual deficits and diagnoses, which can perpetuate feelings of isolation and further disconnect us from our relationships and the world around us. It can make it seem as if your pain is yours alone–all in your head.
But you aren't alone. I believe you deserve more than a solo attempt at psychological self-care. That's why I provide an alternative–rich, relational care with a critical, systemic mindset. As your therapist, my goal is to anchor personal exploration in the complex web of interpersonal, social, environmental, historical, and systemic forces that shape our beautiful, complicated lives.
Ready to begin your journey towards healing and authentic living? Let's get started!
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I've found that our closest relationships are often both the source of our distress and the root of our joy and purpose. That's why I approach psychotherapy as the work of building attuned, healing relationships that feel safe, reliable, and full of possibilities. Your comfort, preferences, and interpretation of your experiences are my priority as we delve deep into the core of your concerns.
Throughout our journey, I'll offer structure, reframing, insights, and prompts to guide you. Drawing from psychodynamic, attachment, and Internal Family Systems theories, as well as neurobiological and sensorimotor trauma frameworks, we'll uncover the emotional, behavioral, and relational patterns affecting your connection to yourself and others. Together, we'll examine these patterns with compassion, understand their protective intentions, and, when you're ready, create space for more flexible, sustainable responses that serve your long-term well-being.
To complement this inner work, we'll adopt a multidisciplinary perspective grounded in social work ethics, restorative justice principles, and critical social thought. This approach allows us to acknowledge the root causes of suffering, challenge assumptions, and remain open to alternative sources of wisdom and relief. By integrating these diverse perspectives, we can work towards a more holistic understanding of your experiences and create lasting positive change.
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Beyond my formal education and clinical experience, my journey as a therapist is deeply informed by my own history of mental health struggles. These challenges shaped much of my adolescence and young adulthood, and for a long time, I believed they would define my entire life. In many ways, they have—but not as limitations. Instead, these experiences have honed my instincts regarding survival, self-determination, and attachment.
The qualities I cherish most about myself—my empathy, insight, and resilience—were forged in the crucible of these challenges. This inner strength has carried me through the demands of early motherhood and the unprecedented stress of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There was a time when leaving my house felt insurmountable; since then, I've lived abroad and traversed the European continent. I once believed I was broken and unlovable; now, I've experienced the transformative power of love—with my daughter, my partner, my life, and myself.
Today, I guide others along similar paths of growth and self-discovery. My role extends beyond that of a psychotherapist; I'm also a professor of research and evaluation and a restorative justice facilitator. These diverse roles allow me to bring a rich, multifaceted perspective to our work together, blending personal insight with professional expertise.
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I specialize in working with adults experiencing a wide range of mental health concerns, recognizing that these issues often arise from complex interactions between personal history, relationships, and broader societal factors. My approach integrates attachment theory, systemic perspectives, and developmental trauma frameworks to understand how general mental health distress manifests in various interconnected ways. Here are the key areas I focus on:
General Mental Health Distress: Struggles with anxiety, depression, compulsive or self-harming behaviors, substance misuse, and other forms of mental health distress may be signs of once-helpful adaptations to challenging environments. Although they may no longer serve you, responses like a critical inner voice, debilitating perfectionism, toxic shame, fear, numbing, and hopelessness may have protected you in the past. Unlearning these deeply ingrained emotional, behavioral, and relationship patterns and grieving the losses connected to them takes time and support, and I'm here to help with that.
Relationship and Family of Origin: Issues: We are at our most vulnerable when we are known by another. When we feel uncomfortable in this vulnerability, we engage in relationships that don't honor our authentic selves or our intentions. We struggle to communicate, harbor resentments, struggle with boundaries, become jealous, argue, avoid, or cling to others. If our discomfort becomes intolerable, we may even betray our integrity and harm the people we care about. Changing these patterns can be difficult, but it is possible. Whether you want to take stock of the past, improve the present, or lay the foundation for the future, I can help you.
Interpersonal Trauma Recovery (complex developmental trauma): Conflict, harm, or abuse within a relationship may lead to feelings of worthlessness or shame, dramatic mood changes, hypervigilance, nightmares, disturbing thoughts, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, distrust of others, social isolation, and even issues with memory and dissociation. My education and training has focused on healing from trauma and interpersonal violence, and the theory and practice of restorative justice, particularly in cases of intimate partner and sexual violence. I've supported people who have been harmed and those responsible for harm, and it would be an honor to support you too.
Parenting: As a pandemic parent, I know what it means to carry the load of raising a child in profound isolation. I'm passionate about supporting caregivers who are recovering from pandemic parenting, caregiving while coping with their own mental health struggles, breaking cycles of harm and unlearning caregiving behaviors modeled in childhood, working to implement attuned or gentle parenting practices, supporting children with mental health diagnoses, grappling with the struggles of co-parenting, and grieving the loss of their autonomy, identity, and relationships before having children.
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In addition to being a mental health practitioner, I bring unique perspectives from my experiences as an alumna of an all-women's college and a former expat in a non-English speaking country.
As an introvert, I find joy in life's quieter moments:
Reading fantasy and science fiction novels
Solving crossword puzzles
Having long conversations with good friends
Cooking
Watching movies and shows
Listening to film scores
One of my favorite quotes, which often finds its way into therapy sessions, comes from Leigh Bardugo's novel Crooked Kingdom: "We meet fear. We greet the unexpected visitor and listen to what he has to tell us. When fear arrives, something is about to happen." This perspective on fear as a harbinger of change resonates deeply with my approach to therapy.
Don't be surprised if I reference this quote during our sessions – it's a powerful reminder of the transformative potential in facing our fears.
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Online Psychotherapy and Therapeutic Coaching
$100 session fee
Insurance: out-of-network
Schedule directly through online scheduler.
If you’re unable to find an available time that works for you, please reach out to kristen@intrepidtherapy.com
