Deep listening—sometimes what isn’t said speaks the loudest

Compassionate therapy for thoughtful adults

Hi, I’m Kristin.

Ever since childhood, I thirsted to understand myself. Not just my identity or personality, but what makes me who I am; why do I do what I do, how do I make sense of emotions, what are healthy relationships, and—perhaps most painful of all—am I enough? Naturally, this curiosity about myself transferred to others: If I am the way I am, what makes others the way they are? And, If I can help myself, can I also help others?

These burning questions coupled with an inherent relationship with music brought me to music therapy, where I worked in hospice care for many years. One day during a co-visit as I witnessed the artful, courageous, and compassionate way my social work colleague walked with the patient’s family, I had an aha moment — I want to be able to do THAT. Not long after, I began training in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music and made the decision to go to graduate school for therapy.

Before becoming a psychotherapist, before everything, I have always been a musician. I trained on classical piano until age 14, at which time I transitioned to violin and everything fell apart. My teacher criticized more than taught, and I lost all confidence in myself. Nonetheless, I committed to the violin and later baroque violin through college and beyond. It wasn’t until I gave myself permission to quit that I actually began enjoying music again, but it wasn’t the violin—I learned cello, and later found the viola da gamba. Now, I finally feel like I’m home.

As musicians, we dedicate our lives to listening — sound, feeling, silence, nuance, relationship — and I bring that same attentiveness to the therapeutic space. Whether or not you’re an artist yourself, I believe therapy is a creative process: one of exploration, discovery, and self-expression.

In my clinical work, I cultivate a warm, open, collaborative space. Together, we may focus on healing childhood trauma, easing anxiety, finding balance amid change, or rediscovering life after burnout. I also work with musicians and other creatives around past musical trauma, performance anxiety, identity, and their relationship with their art.

My approach draws from depth-oriented and experiential traditions, including the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music — a process that uses music listening in altered states to access emotional insight, transformation, and healing. Whether through words, silence, or sound, I aim to help you connect more deeply with your inner experience and move toward what feels authentic and whole.

I’m a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in Minnesota and run a private practice from Kraków, Poland, where I work with English-speaking adults in person and online. I also offer online sessions for residents of Minnesota.

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”

— Victor Hugo

My Focus

Helping you find your way home

My style of therapy is client-centered, normalizing, and empowering. I help you find your own answers from within yourself. I won't tell you what your therapeutic goals should be, but will walk alongside you and provide guidance to help you achieve them.

How will we do that? We may work with a combination of word- and music-based therapies including traditional talk therapy, receptive music therapy techniques, and other creative arts therapy techniques to help you meet your goals.

My job is to provide a safe space and the tools to heal, and walk with you on the journey. 

EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS

M.Mus. (in progress), Viola da Gamba Performance
Akademia Muzyczna im. Krzysztofa Pendereckiego w Krakowie, Poland
Expected 2026

M.A./Ed.S., Clinical Mental Health Counseling
James Madison University, 2013

B.S., Music Therapy (Psychology Minor)
Duquesne University, 2004

Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC no. 5338) – Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy

Fellow, Association for Music and Imagery (FAMI)

Music Therapist, Board Certified (MT‑BC, inactive)

MY SPECIALTIES

Life is already hard. You don’t have to do it alone.