I'm Kristin B Free, a therapist, advocate, activist and systems navigation specialist. I am a photo taking, yoga loving, messy crafting, garden hopeful mama. I live in Chico with my husband, three children and three fur baby's. I am a firm believer in the dignity and worth of every human being. I truly believe that learning to love yourself can change your whole world. It changed mine!
"I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it." -Maya Angelou
This knowing that the things that happen to us will make lasting impressions on our heart, but they do not have to define us, they do not have to consume us, has held me through many trials and tribulations. My own experiences as a child growing up in drug culture and surviving through trauma have inspired me to create Integrative Counseling and Trauma Recovery Center. I intimately know the struggle to allow circumstances and experiences to be a part of my story without defining everything about who I am.
This crazy beautiful, messy life...
There is no doubt that this life is as messy as it is beautiful. There is no doubt that terrible things happen to amazing people. And suffering in this human form is inevitable. It's how we cope with that suffering, it's how we move forward in spite of it all, how we allow the events of our life to become parts of our story without consuming us,
that matters the most.
that matters the most.
Your story starts with your SELF...
In my years of experience and all my years studying the human condition, studying human behavior and participating in humanity,
I have learned many valuable lessons, but what stands out most is this:
It's all about connection.
The connection we have with our SELF, the way we know our SELF, the way we see and experience our SELF is what defines the interactions we have in the world, it's what truly shapes our story. If you have lost the connection with your SELF, you will struggle to be fully connected with anyone else. And by nature, human beings are meant for connection. We thrive in connection. Being disconnected can create lots of heartache.
Sometimes the things that happen to us stifle our ability to connect with our self and others, creating what feels like unbearable suffering,
that is when getting professional support can be the most helpful.
I have learned many valuable lessons, but what stands out most is this:
It's all about connection.
The connection we have with our SELF, the way we know our SELF, the way we see and experience our SELF is what defines the interactions we have in the world, it's what truly shapes our story. If you have lost the connection with your SELF, you will struggle to be fully connected with anyone else. And by nature, human beings are meant for connection. We thrive in connection. Being disconnected can create lots of heartache.
Sometimes the things that happen to us stifle our ability to connect with our self and others, creating what feels like unbearable suffering,
that is when getting professional support can be the most helpful.
So, how do we do that? How do we begin to make peace with the suffering so that we can connect with our self and connect more wholeheartedly with others?
This is where the integrative part comes in...
The definition of integrate is to combine one thing with another so that they become a whole. This is the guiding principal behind the creation of Integrative Counseling and Trauma Recovery Center.
I believe getting connected with your self starts with a willingness to carefully consider and examine all the parts that make up the whole. We must acknowledge each aspect, mind, body, spirit and the environment in which we live, that plays a role in the creation of our story if we want to make lasting change. When we have the full picture, an integrative care model will incorporate therapeutic interventions that seek to bring together all the pieces that make you who you are.
In doing so, you can begin to understand your true self, grow compassion for yourself and tap into the magic that exists within you...
Drawing on your unique strengths you can give yourself permission to move through your suffering in a way that invites
whole person healing and growth.
Consider the possibilities that can arise when you grow self-compassion and self-love, and become grounded in connection with who you really are...
I believe getting connected with your self starts with a willingness to carefully consider and examine all the parts that make up the whole. We must acknowledge each aspect, mind, body, spirit and the environment in which we live, that plays a role in the creation of our story if we want to make lasting change. When we have the full picture, an integrative care model will incorporate therapeutic interventions that seek to bring together all the pieces that make you who you are.
In doing so, you can begin to understand your true self, grow compassion for yourself and tap into the magic that exists within you...
Drawing on your unique strengths you can give yourself permission to move through your suffering in a way that invites
whole person healing and growth.
Consider the possibilities that can arise when you grow self-compassion and self-love, and become grounded in connection with who you really are...
Credentials and Experience
Born and raised in Northern CA, this area has been my home my entire life and I absolutely love it. I hold a Master's Degree in Social Work from Chico State University. I am currently licensed as a Clinical Social Worker in California.
I have worked in social services for 15 years right here in Butte County in various areas, with adolescents in the schools and juvenile justice system and with people of all ages in the medical community (hospital, home health, hospice).
Through my experience as a Medical Social Worker I have developed an expertise in supporting individuals and their families in coping with chronic illness and pain, adjusting to catastrophic life changing events or diagnoses, facing end of life issues and processing grief.
I have a special interest in trauma work and will be working towards certification in traumatic stress studies with a focus on EMDR and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (a mind body approach to healing from trauma). Throughout my work with people of all ages, I have noticed one common theme, carrying the burden of traumatic stress immensely effects the health of our whole bodies (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual).
Carrying the burden of traumatic stress can lead to many different forms of dysfunction and people often show up in the medical community with various somatic complaints. Thorough evaluation of somatic complaints can often uncover traumatic stress at some time in life. Addressing this stress is the key to approaching health and wellness from a holistic perspective as it acknowledges the interconnection of mind, body and spirit. I hope to provide my community with high quality therapy for the healing of traumatic stress that can help people to re-experience joy and uncover their full potential.
I have worked in social services for 15 years right here in Butte County in various areas, with adolescents in the schools and juvenile justice system and with people of all ages in the medical community (hospital, home health, hospice).
Through my experience as a Medical Social Worker I have developed an expertise in supporting individuals and their families in coping with chronic illness and pain, adjusting to catastrophic life changing events or diagnoses, facing end of life issues and processing grief.
I have a special interest in trauma work and will be working towards certification in traumatic stress studies with a focus on EMDR and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (a mind body approach to healing from trauma). Throughout my work with people of all ages, I have noticed one common theme, carrying the burden of traumatic stress immensely effects the health of our whole bodies (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual).
Carrying the burden of traumatic stress can lead to many different forms of dysfunction and people often show up in the medical community with various somatic complaints. Thorough evaluation of somatic complaints can often uncover traumatic stress at some time in life. Addressing this stress is the key to approaching health and wellness from a holistic perspective as it acknowledges the interconnection of mind, body and spirit. I hope to provide my community with high quality therapy for the healing of traumatic stress that can help people to re-experience joy and uncover their full potential.
Associations
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