Kristin Carswell, MS, LCMHCS
(she/her/hers)
I am a first generation college graduate and descendent of southern Appalachia. I have a deeply personal understanding of the importance of mental health care and I strongly believe that we can heal beyond the dysfunction that limits us. The stigma and push back we can experience when we become emotionally healthier in family systems that have been just working to survive hardship is painful but rewarding. I experienced domestic violence, substance abuse and mental illness in my home as a child and I have lived with the impact of oppressive systems that are set up to privilege those in power. I internalized many negative messages of emotional abuse and I have firsthand experience working to overcome the internalization of an abusive power dynamic. I believe we are all moving toward health and healing the best ways we know how.
My experience with my own trauma as well as my experience as a trauma therapist has taught me that we can overcome oppression from the inside out. I believe that the healing and progress I desire personally and professionally requires holding people in power accountable and also very much on the individual ability to identify the internalization of oppression and privilege. With this knowledge we can identify our resources, dig deep and heal from wounds we have inherited.
I am inspired by the clients I have worked with who have taught me that trust, connection and perseverance can turn our most difficult life experiences into our most valuable assets. I have spent decades working for social justice, specifically for reproductive rights and with survivors of sexual violence. Through study and soul searching I came to understand that healing occurring on an individual level echoes out into the wider space and creates healing on a larger scale.
I have been impacted by witnessing enough social change to keep me hoping for more. I am so grateful to the teachers and therapists I’ve studied and worked with, friends and family who have helped me grow up. I enjoy cooking with ingredients I’ve never used before, reading weird southern fiction, music, plants, traveling, camping, hiking to waterfalls and spending time with my friends, family and pets.
The darker experiences of life push us to the edge, and they also create the opportunity for spiritual and emotional remodel. I am excited to help people process the stuck points and flourish. I use a combination of AEDP, EMDR and IFS to provide a connected therapeutic experience for insightful individuals who have a foundation of tolerance for experiencing emotion. I take care in meeting initially to assess the likelihood of successful work together. If you are interested in working together for supervision or individual therapy please contact me to discuss the possibilities.