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KR Portrait of Kristi Rakes

Kristi Rakes

Compassionate therapy focused on practical growth

LCSW, LISW-CP North Carolina

Experience
13 years in practice
Focus areas
Stress, Anxiety, Grief, Self esteem
Approaches
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
Languages
English
Continue with Kristi

About Kristi

Kristi Rakes offers a warm, accepting space for people seeking help with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, self-esteem, and other life challenges. She introduces herself with compassion and a nonjudgmental stance, aiming to help clients recognize strengths during difficult periods and work toward clearer goals.

Background and approach

Kristi draws on a holistic outlook to address both common and complex concerns, including mood and trauma-related issues, relationship and intimacy challenges, and conditions such as bipolar disorder and ADHD. Kristi is a licensed clinical social worker with dual credentials - LCSW and LISW-CP - and brings 13 years of experience in mental health care in North Carolina.

Her clinical toolkit blends cognitive behavioral techniques with client-centered support, motivational interviewing, narrative approaches, and mindfulness practices to tailor work to each person’s needs. She also attends to specialized areas like caregiving stress, end-of-life concerns, body image, postpartum mood shifts, and addiction-related struggles.

Kristi emphasizes collaboration and strengths-based work so clients can build practical coping skills and move toward a more manageable, meaningful daily life.

How practical therapeutic approaches work online

Kristi commonly integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness Therapy into her online work. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and building concrete skills to change patterns that maintain anxiety, low mood, or compulsive behaviors. Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and acceptance practices that can reduce reactivity, help manage stress, and support emotional regulation.

Finding the right approach is treated as a collaborative process. Kristi listens to each person's goals, preferences, and the challenges they bring, then helps tailor a mix of strategies that fit their situation rather than applying a single method rigidly. Clients are invited to give feedback so the plan can be adjusted over time to better match what helps them progress.

Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility and accessibility. These options make it easier to work around work, caregiving responsibilities, or mobility limits while keeping therapeutic work consistent and practical. Licensed professionals can adapt cognitive and mindfulness techniques to these formats so clients can practice skills and track changes between sessions.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns can Kristi help with?
She supports people dealing with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, self-esteem, coping with life changes, addictions, trauma and related issues among many others listed in her specialties.
What is her general therapeutic style?
Her approach is compassionate and nonjudgmental, using client-centered listening alongside practical techniques to help clients identify strengths and set goals.
How much experience does she have?
Kristi has 13 years of experience working in mental health and draws on that background when helping people navigate complex emotional and life challenges.
What credentials and location are associated with this clinician?
She holds LCSW and LISW-CP credentials with licensure details NC LCSW C007259 and SC LISW-CP 16825, and practices from North Carolina.
Does she provide services in other languages or to international clients?
Sessions are offered in English only, and she is not currently accepting international clients.
Which session formats are available with Kristi?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies depending on location and therapist availability, and sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the first steps to begin working together?
To get started select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, AnxietyGriefSelf esteemDepressionCoping with life changes

Also works with

AddictionsLGBTRelationship issuesFamily conflictsTrauma and abuseIntimacy-related issuesParenting issuesAnger managementCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderCompassion fatigueADHD

Additional focus areas

Aging and geriatric issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressCommunication problemsEmptinessFamily problemsForgivenessGuilt and shameHospice and end-of-life counselingIsolation / lonelinessLife purposeMood disordersObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthSelf-loveSocial anxiety and phobiaWomen's issues

Therapeutic approaches

Client-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

13+ years

Licensed

North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina

Languages

English