Crista Shaw

Crista Shaw is a Maine-based therapist with 15 years of clinical experience. She holds an LCPC, which means she is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and she focuses on issues like stress, anxiety, family concerns, trauma and abuse, anger, and depression.

She aims to build an open, nonjudgmental space where people can talk about hard feelings. Sessions emphasize listening first, then practical ways to cope with difficult moments. She encourages small steps that fit into everyday life.

Her background includes work with people dealing with grief, mood disorders, postpartum depression, and seasonal affective disorder. Crista also supports clients navigating adoption and foster care matters, blended family dynamics, family of origin issues, and parenting stress.

Her approach draws on client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and trauma-focused work. Those methods are used to help with impulsivity, guilt and shame, isolation, and finding life purpose.

Crista explains things plainly and focuses on skills people can use between sessions. She invites honest conversation about goals and setbacks, and she adjusts the pace to each person’s needs.

How her approaches translate to online work

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and building a therapy plan from the client’s priorities. It helps when someone needs a space to be heard and to set practical goals for change.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches skills to shift unhelpful patterns. This approach is commonly used for anxiety, depression, anger, and stress management.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, emphasizes emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills. It can be helpful when impulsivity or strong emotional reactions interfere with daily life.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Crista will work with each person to match methods to their needs, goals, and preferences, and she adjusts the plan as progress is made.

Confirm the current session options before booking, since formats are not specified in the biography. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also make it simpler to keep up with regular practice of skills between appointments.