Christine Ibarra

Christine Ibarra is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (BBS #:150226) and Life Coach who has been in the field of Psychology for over 13 years. Christine earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Davis, and her Master’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy from Northcentral University. Christine grew up all over the world, thanks to her family’s military affiliation, before spending her adolescence and young adulthood in Central Texas near the country’s largest Army base, Fort Hood. Christine’s father served in the U.S. Army for 20 years and her paternal grandfather was a pilot flying for the U.S. Army Air Corps in WWII. Because of this proud lineage, the military and our Veterans hold a special place in her heart, particularly as an underserved population in mental health. Christine’s interest in Psychology was piqued in high school after taking her first Psychology class. From that moment on, her fascination with understanding how cognition, behavior, and feelings affect human experience would pave the way towards becoming a psychotherapist. Christine began her hands-on mental health experience working with neurodivergent children and their families in a 1-to-1 intensive, play-based environment, providing mock pre-school support, parent training, behavioral intervention, and life-skills training. Christine advanced her experience working as a case manager providing 1-to-1 personalized educational, behavioral, and crisis intervention support in-school as well as in-home. Christine has a specialty working with Neurodiverse couples. She works under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Lucking, PhD who is a published author, speaker, and expert in the field of Neurodiversity. Christine supports NT partners who are struggling with OTRS (Ongoing Traumatic Relationship Syndrome). She uses the Island of Shared meaning model that Dr. Lucking created to support ND relationships and partners to bridge the Neurodiverse gap that these relationships struggle with. Comprehensively, Christine is experienced with groups, families, couples, and individuals ages 3+ with a multitude of behavioral, educational, and emotional disabilities and diagnoses, to include: mild to severe anxiety (GAD) and depression (MDD & PDD), autism (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar (BD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), intermittent explosive disorder (IED), and schizophrenia (SCZ). Christine’s main modalities include: cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which is a form of psycho-social treatment that focuses on challenging and changing negative thought patterns in order to improve emotional regulation and develop coping skills to reduce symptomology; and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), which is a strength-based approach to psychotherapy based on solution-building and a focus on current presenting problems and past causes. These modalities, coupled with a focus on advanced behavior therapy, attachment theory, and cognitive dissonance, allow Christine to serve a diverse and broad population. Specialties: Depression Anxiety Relationships Communication Burnout Stress management Autism Attachment issues Family stressors Suicidal ideation and harm Behavior management Trauma Cross-cultural issues Life transitions Mindfulness Modalities: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Solution-focused Brief Therapy Motivational Interviewing Narrative Therapy Certifications: Cultural Competence Identifying and Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention, Identification, and Reporting of Dependent Adult Abuse Trauma-informed Interventions for Youth Motivational Interviewing Critical Incident Stress Management LGBTQ+ R.I.S.E. Rehabilitation to Address Functional Impairments