Hello!
I am Krista, a Registered Psychologist (#2580), located in Victoria BC. My pronouns are she/they. I am a white, cisgender woman in my early 30s.
My family originally settled from Ukraine and Poland on Treaty 6 Territory - the Homeland of the Metis and Cree Nations in Saskatchewan.
I grew up in Saskatoon, SK and completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Saskatchewan before moving to Chicago, IL, USA on the land of the people of the Council of Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa. I completed my Doctorate of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology, including a doctoral internship at the University of Victoria Counselling Centre.
I currently live and work as an uninvited guest on the unceded territories of the Songhees, Esquimalt, and WSÁNEC peoples.
Over the course of my education and training, I have worked with children, teens, and adults in a variety of settings, including a psychiatric hospital, forensic institutions, a therapeutic day school, community mental health organization, and university counselling centre. I am trained as a generalist practitioner - meaning I have experience supporting individuals with diverse identities, needs, and concerns.
In my private practice, I work with individuals experiencing Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs). As a psychologist, I try my best to create a warm and collaborative space focused on each client's unique identities and concerns. We will work together to create a plan that feels best for you and that is guided by evidenced-based treatments, such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Our work might also be influenced by Internal Family Systems, Psychodynamic and Relational perspectives, Feminist Theory, Mindfulness, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
As a psychologist and a human, I am in the active and ongoing process of reflecting on my own areas of privilege and bias. It is extremely important to me to spend time unlearning the many ways in which my views and experiences are shaped by systems of power and oppression in our society.
Outside of my work as a psychologist, you'll find me adventuring with my dog, spending time at home in my garden, reading with a cup of tea, or re-watching my favourite movies and shows.