via  /ˈvʌɪə/ noun

way, road, path, journey

[latin viā]

 

WHO I AM.

Hello, I am Cristina.

 

In my work, I often come alongside people amid challenges on their journey.   I have over two decades of experience providing support, family education, working with couples, restoring relationships, and counseling in culturally diverse settings, with immigrant families, and working through the adjustment and stress associated with displacement. 

I am originally from Spain and moved to Minnesota almost 30 years ago. I am a bilingual (Spanish/English)/bicultural psychotherapist and an adjunct assistant professor of Marriage and Family Therapy.

I balance my clinical practice with interests in higher education, particularly training culturally responsive mental health providers. This passion is fueled by my previous experience teaching languages for social justice at the higher education level for many years. 

As a relational therapist, I love to see families and individuals thrive and live healthy lives. I work from a strength-based position, incorporating family systems orientations to help you obtain and use the tools necessary to cultivate change and growth.  I am passionate about mental health with an integrative perspective that includes mindfulness and spirituality and is trauma informed. My practice is rooted in a systemic, multicultural framework and celebrates all aspects of your identity.

I consider the context very important to understand mental health, so my approach is holistic and integrative, focusing on working in today’s complex, beautiful, diverse world.

I value education and the centrality of being well-prepared for my work. I have a Master's Degree from Hamline University, a Postgraduate Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy from Bethel Seminary, and Doctorate in Higher education from Bethel University.  I have also received a certificate from the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma.

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I love to travel, go for long walks, and cook. I delight in after-dinner conversations around the table that nourish our bodies and souls.

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All appointments are offered virtually for residents in Minnesota, South Dakota and Arizona.