Christen Thompson, LMHC

Christen Thompson, LMHC, brings a lived recovery perspective to her counseling work. She began her own recovery journey in 1996 and later chose a counseling career to guide others toward increased self-awareness and healthier choices.

She started in the addictions field in 2004 as a behavioral health technician and completed a bachelor’s degree before earning a master’s in counseling. Over nine years as a licensed mental health counselor she has worked in several south Florida facilities and served as a primary therapist in substance use settings.

Her approach blends humanistic and client-centered ideas with practical tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. She uses talk-based work and creative techniques when helpful, aiming to help people notice patterns, make values-based choices, and build skills for everyday life.

Christen has experience designing clinical programs and has led treatment components aimed at first responders and others with high stress. That administrative work shaped her understanding of what helps programs run well alongside individual care.

She is based in Florida and works with people facing addictions as well as related concerns such as trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, grief, and work stress. She emphasizes steady growth, self-awareness, and practical steps clients can take between sessions.

How therapy approaches guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on clarifying what matters to a person and taking small actions toward those values. It helps with stress, anxiety, and making changes when old habits, including substance use, get in the way. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and many day-to-day challenges.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Christen treats therapy as a collaboration and will help figure out which methods fit a person’s goals and preferences. Together they can try techniques, notice what helps, and adjust the plan as needs shift.

The biography does not list specific online session formats, so confirm the current options before booking. In general, online care can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example by avoiding travel, allowing a shorter check-in on a break, or reducing the need to be on camera if that feels better. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT and CBT exercises to an online setting so clients can practice skills between sessions and track small changes over time.