Christina Chykirda, LPC

Christina Chykirda is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) practicing in Connecticut with 10 years of experience in the mental health field and over 15 years in customer service. She has worked across a range of care settings, including inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient programs, and brings that breadth of experience to work with individuals facing complex challenges.

Her clinical experience spans many areas such as depression, anxiety disorders - including obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety, agoraphobia, social anxiety, phobias, and panic disorder - posttraumatic stress and trauma, grief and loss, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, personality disorders, anger and impulse control difficulties, gambling and substance use concerns, kleptomania, eating and food-related issues, sex offending behaviors, domestic violence, life transitions, and interpersonal relationship struggles. Additional focus areas include abandonment and attachment issues, avoidant and dependent personality patterns, codependency, commitment and communication problems, control issues, dissociation, divorce and separation, and dual diagnoses involving co-morbidity.

Christina’s therapeutic stance is empathic, non-judgmental, supportive, and interactive. She prefers a collaborative approach, partnering with clients to set goals and often assigning between-session work to support progress. Psychoeducation is an important element of her work, helping people gain awareness about symptoms and patterns so they can make informed choices. She draws from a variety of methods, including client-centered approaches, cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavior therapies, existential perspectives, and mindfulness techniques, and she encourages clients to face difficult emotions and reduce reliance on unhealthy coping strategies. Christina aims to support clients through the challenging but rewarding process of growth and improved quality of life, and she looks forward to working with those ready to take that step.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Support

Christina integrates client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) into her online practice. Client-centered therapy focuses on creating an empathic, non-judgmental environment where the client’s experience guides the work and helps with issues like self-esteem, relationship concerns, and identity questions. Cognitive behavioral therapy examines patterns of thought and behavior and offers practical strategies to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and problematic coping. Dialectical behavior therapy combines emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness skills to help with intense emotions, impulsive behaviors, and difficulties in relationships.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Christina works with each person to identify goals, preferences, and immediate needs, and tailors interventions so the therapeutic method fits the client rather than forcing a single model. She brings an interactive stance and often includes skill practice between sessions to reinforce progress.

Online therapy with Christina is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which can make scheduling more flexible and reduce barriers related to travel or location. These options allow people to access consistent support in ways that fit daily life, making it easier to maintain momentum and apply new skills between appointments.