Kris, AMFT
Therapist
Hi there, I’m Kris
I’m a queer, dynamic Associate Therapist, community builder, and connector who’s passionate about being a resource to others. Before entering the mental health field, I spent over a decade in corporate HR, supporting individuals through growth, conflict, leadership development, and life transitions. That experience, paired with my clinical training, allows me to bring a grounded, people-first perspective to therapeutic work.
My Story
In my late twenties (Saturn’s return, is that you?), I thought I had achieved it all. I climbed quickly in my career and was approaching a regional director level role in Human Resources. For a long time, that had been the dream.
Then I got close and realized something surprising. I was not nearly as impressed with the C-suite as I thought I would be.
That raised a very real question. If this was the top of the ladder and I didn’t feel fulfilled, then what exactly was I working toward? On top of that, I was under so much stress and pressure that I ended up taking an emergency leave of absence, something I had never done before. It was my first real taste of burnout. I was exhausted, over and underwhelmed, and soul-tired. Yet the moment I set my away message, I knew I could not return to that job or even that field.
Cue the very real “so what do I do now?” phase.
I slowed down and reflected on what parts of my work actually lit me up. It was never the policies or the spreadsheets. It was the people. Sitting with someone at the beginning of their career and watching them grow into leadership. Helping people navigate conflict, uncertainty, and life decisions while also supporting them in prioritizing family and themselves. Holding space while people figured out who they wanted to become.
Around that time, I realized how much of my identity had become “Kris from HR.” Stepping away gave me the opportunity to reconnect with who I was outside of a job title and reorient toward a personal sense of purpose.
Then a simple realization landed. Supporting people in this way was something I had been doing my entire life.
That realization eventually led me to therapy, first as a client and then as a graduate student lucky enough to become an Associate Therapist. Now it is both a joy and an honor to support people as they reconnect with themselves and move toward lives that feel aligned with their values, goals, and sense of self.
Outside of the therapy room, I love to laugh, talk basketball, track astrology transits, and connect through music, television, and books. Art reflects life, and I believe life itself is a form of art.
My Approach
My approach is collaborative and rooted in curiosity. I draw from narrative therapy, psychodynamic work, mindfulness, and relational approaches to help you figure out which parts of your story were built to perform and which ones are actually you. You're the expert on your life. I'm just here to help you read the map.
Before therapy, I spent over a decade in HR, yes, including benefits enrollment season, supporting people through career growth and major life transitions. I left when I realized the part of the job that actually mattered to me had nothing to do with policy and everything to do with people. That's how this practice happened.
I often describe therapy as the art of bringing what we know inside of ourselves into the open. When those inner truths are given space and attention, growth becomes possible.
Footnotes/Personal Notes/Fun Facts:
Outside of session, I'm tracking astrology transits, talking basketball, or practicing what I preach by getting outside to touch grass. I also love taking in new music, television, and books. Art reflects life, and I believe life itself is a form of art.
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist || AMFT #154111
Supervised by Camille Tenerife, LMFT
Specialties
Therapy for High-Functioning Depression
Education
Pepperdine University, MA, Clinical Psychology
University of Missouri, BA, Psychology
