Cristina Spataro, LMHC

Cristina Spataro is a licensed mental health counselor who has 18 years of experience working with individuals, couples, and families. She uses a combination of cognitive behavioral, solution-focused, and positive psychology approaches to help her clients overcome obstacles and limiting beliefs to develop the roadmap for achieving their goals. She also offers online courses.

My path to becoming a licensed mental health counselor involved a passion for helping people and developing a greater understanding of both how the mind works and why, as human beings, we can often be our own worst enemies. Fueled by that desire, I got my bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in education and then received my master's in counseling. I was also trained in both cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic therapeutic approaches. In other words, my therapeutic modality is primarily focused on helping clients find solutions to current problems by addressing specific faulty thinking patterns while also acknowledging and addressing how their past experiences are influencing their present circumstances. I worked in hospital, agency, and scholastic settings prior to entering private practice.
My counseling style is pretty laid-back; I have been described by current clients as supportive, caring, and compassionate, with a pretty good sense of humor. I like to focus on identifying my client’s strengths and helping them to maximize their strengths to overcome their obstacles. I'm here to help you sort through the things that are difficult right now and offer you a safe place to be open and honest without fear of judgment. In our work together, I help you develop SMART goals, which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-limited. I help you figure out what you want for your life and your best path to get there. At each session, we discuss what steps you have taken toward your goals and—at the end of the session—we discuss what you would like to accomplish in the week ahead. Most importantly, you will have small, manageable steps in service of your larger goals and dreams. I also use movies to help illustrate concepts.