Crista Shaw, LCPC - Therapist in Maine

About Crista

Crista Shaw is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) practicing in Maine. She has 15 years of experience helping people facing stress, anxiety, family conflicts, trauma, and anger. She focuses on straightforward support and practical steps parents and families can use day to day.

Crista aims to make the start of therapy feel manageable for worried caregivers. Crista creates an open space where thoughts and feelings can be expressed without fear of judgment.

Background and approach

She listens first, then works with each person to build clear goals and simple strategies. Her approach blends client-centered listening with tools drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. She also brings trauma-focused techniques to sessions when past harm affects current family life.

That can include safety planning, grounding skills, and ways to reduce triggers during stressful moments. Crista pays attention to how family patterns, adoption or foster histories, and blended family dynamics show up in daily routines. Common concerns she addresses include parenting stress, mood challenges, grief, postpartum difficulties, and questions around sexuality and identity.

She also supports those coping with ADHD symptoms, isolation, and life transitions. Sessions aim to teach coping skills that make everyday parenting and family interactions calmer. Crista offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging for flexible access.

To begin, a short matching questionnaire helps pair a family with her style and scheduling.

How therapy approaches translate to online family support

Client-centered therapy focuses on understanding each person's experience and building a trusting relationship. In online sessions this means the therapist listens closely, reflects what she hears, and helps families set goals that feel realistic and relevant. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions influence each other and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. It is useful for anxiety, mood problems, and day-to-day parenting challenges.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Crista will discuss different methods and help decide which fits the family's needs, goals, and preferences. That may mean starting with listening and support, then adding CBT or trauma-focused work as needed.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect: video calls for face-to-face conversation, phone sessions when screens are difficult, live chat for shorter check-ins, and text-based messaging for ongoing support. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy family schedules and to keep momentum between sessions. Licensed professionals can adapt these formats to teach new skills, practice strategies, and track progress over time.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of family concerns does Crista address?

She works with stress, anxiety, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, anger, depression, parenting issues, and related concerns such as adoption and foster care or blended family issues.

What is her general therapy style?

Her work is client-centered with practical tools added from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. Sessions focus on listening first, then building clear, usable strategies.

How long has she been practicing?

Crista has 15 years of professional experience working with people dealing with family and emotional challenges.

Where is she licensed and based?

She is licensed in Maine as an LCPC with the credential listed as ME LCPC CC4311.

Which languages are supported for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

Sessions can be done by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.

How are costs handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I start a therapy relationship with Crista?

Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session based on her availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 15 years
Licensed: Maine
Languages: English

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