Kristen Buongiorno

Kristen Buongiorno is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in New Jersey with 14 years of clinical experience. She focuses on helping people who struggle with stress, anxiety, anger, depression, addictions, trauma, and related concerns. Kristen takes a straightforward and compassionate approach in sessions, and she works collaboratively with each person to set practical goals.

She emphasizes the link between thoughts and behavior using cognitive behavioral techniques and also uses mindfulness to help clients feel grounded. Kristen is direct when needed and willing to have the hard conversations that lead to change. She prioritizes safety and will help develop safety plans for people who require them.

Her background includes work with people facing major life changes, illness and cancer, sexual assault, and veteran-related concerns including combat and military sexual trauma. Over the years she has supported people dealing with relationship problems, grief, identity questions, and workplace or caregiver stress. She also addresses issues like body image, intimacy, and concerns connected to kink or alternative sexual cultures.

Sessions focus on clear, achievable steps such as coping skills, communication practice, and mindfulness exercises. Kristen will tailor the pace and techniques to match each person's goals and readiness for change. She frames therapy as a team effort and invites clients to be active partners in shaping their work together.

Many clients come for help with anger and related challenges like communication, guilt, or trauma reactions. Kristen encourages people to acknowledge small wins and build steady progress toward more manageable daily life.

How Kristen’s approaches work for online therapy

Kristen uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people notice unhelpful thinking and try different behaviors. CBT breaks problems into small, manageable steps and teaches practical skills for stress, anger, and mood management.

She also uses mindfulness techniques to help clients become more grounded and reduce reactivity. Mindfulness exercises can be short breathing or grounding practices people use between sessions to manage strong feelings.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Kristen will collaborate with each person to choose and adapt methods based on goals, comfort, and daily life needs. She views therapy as a team effort and checks in regularly about what is or isn’t working.

The profile does not list specific online session formats, so confirm the current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. Talk with Kristen about how to structure sessions so they fit real-life routines and obligations.