Kristi Whitford, LCSW

Kristi Whitford is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with 20 years of experience supporting people during crisis and major life stress. She centers sessions on listening and understanding, and she aims to make conversations feel approachable and nonjudgmental.

Kristi uses a client-centered way of working. She meets people where they are and tailors the pace and focus to the individual's needs. This includes helping with anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, stress, and struggles around intimacy and relationships such as jealousy and commitment concerns.

Her background includes work with caregivers, people facing chronic illness or cancer, and those navigating adoption and foster care challenges. She also supports people dealing with codependency, family of origin issues, divorce and separation, and communication problems. Kristi has long experience responding to acute mental health needs and adjustment difficulties.

In sessions she blends practical problem solving and motivational strategies with compassionate listening. That can mean setting small goals, practicing new ways of communicating, or clarifying values and next steps. The focus is on steady, doable changes rather than quick fixes.

People who choose Kristi often want a calm, steady guide through tough moments. She frames therapy as a partnership and helps craft an individualized plan that fits each person's circumstances and priorities.

How Kristi’s Approaches Translate to Online Work

Kristi commonly draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Client-Centered Therapy in her work. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small actions toward those values, which can be useful for anxiety, depression, and relationship struggles. Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening, validation, and creating a nonjudgmental space so people can find their own solutions and build confidence.

Choosing the right method is part of the work. Kristi treats the decision as a collaboration and will adjust methods based on each person’s goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful in sessions. She aims to match practical tools to the issues a person brings, whether that means values-based exercises, motivational conversation, or solution-focused steps.

Confirm the currently available session formats before booking, since the biography did not list specific options. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when that suits a schedule. They also let people use visual or audio-only formats depending on bandwidth or comfort. A therapist and client can decide together what arrangement best supports steady progress.