Kristen Udell
Calm, practical therapy for stress and growth
- Credentials
- LMHC
- Experience
- 8 years
- Licensed in
- Iowa
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Kristen
Kristen Udell is a licensed mental health counselor who uses straightforward, practical methods to help people manage stress, worry, and life changes. She blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Solution-Focused Therapy to create short-term, focused plans that fit each person’s needs. Kristen has eight years of experience and practices in Iowa.
She writes back to messages within about 24 hours on weekdays and within 48 hours over weekends. She aims for clear, respectful conversations.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on concrete steps that reduce anxiety and improve day-to-day functioning. Kristen works with issues like trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, and challenges with motivation and confidence. She also addresses relationship and family concerns and supports people exploring life purpose and self-love.
In sessions she listens first, then helps shape goals together. Treatment plans are tailored to the person and can include thought work, problem-solving, and simple behavioral changes. Forgiveness and communication skills are common topics when relationships are affected.
Kristen uses a team approach, inviting clients to set priorities and track progress. Practical tools and small experiments are often assigned between meetings to build momentum. The focus is on workable strategies that fit daily life.
Messaging and written check-ins are part of her practice, with timely responses as noted above. For someone feeling overwhelmed or stuck, she offers calm guidance and clear next steps to start moving forward.
Therapeutic approaches and online care
Kristen uses Client-Centered Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to shape online sessions in ways that feel natural and useful. Client-Centered Therapy means she listens without judgment and follows the client's lead to build trust and clarify goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behaviors to reduce anxiety and improve mood.She blends these approaches with solution-focused techniques when clients want short-term, goal-directed work. That method concentrates on practical steps and immediate changes rather than long explorations of the past. Choosing the right mix of methods happens together; Kristen asks about needs, goals, and preferences and adjusts the plan as progress is made.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits for this style of work. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation for deeper connection. Phone sessions are an option when video is not convenient. Live chat and text-based messaging let clients check in between sessions or use written tools that fit busy schedules. These formats make it easier to practice skills in real life and keep the work moving forward without strict geographic limits.
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.
Solution-Focused Therapy
Rather than examining the problem at length, this looks at what is already working and builds on it. Sessions tend to be practical and forward-looking, with small achievable steps, which translates readily to shorter online conversations.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Communication problems
- Coping with life changes
- Family conflicts
- Forgiveness
- Life purpose
- Relationship issues
- Self-love
- Women's issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 8 years
- Licensed
- Iowa
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Kristen
- Takes a few minutes
- Nothing to set up just to look
- Stop at any point