The Path That Brought Me Here

Hi, I’m Kristina. I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New Jersey, and I’ve spent over a decade supporting individuals through anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and major life transitions. While my clinical training has shaped my work, it’s my lived experience — particularly becoming a mother — that deeply informs how I show up in the therapy room today.

When I became a mother, my world shifted in ways I didn’t expect. As a therapist, I truly believed I was prepared. I remember thinking, “I’ve got this.” But I didn’t — and I didn’t recognize that what I was experiencing was postpartum anxiety.

I felt overwhelmed and isolated, constantly second-guessing myself. I went from feeling confident and grounded to feeling lost in my own mind — replaying the day, running through endless what ifs, and struggling to be fully present. Anxiety made even small moments feel heavy. I was always on edge, overthinking, overreaching, and often feeling overstimulated and exhausted.

What made it even harder was the belief that I should be able to handle it on my own. I was a therapist, after all. But motherhood taught me how quietly anxiety can take over — and how deeply it can impact your sense of self.

That experience changed me, both personally and professionally. It led me to deepen my focus in perinatal mental health and to supporting women through some of the most vulnerable transitions of their lives — motherhood, fertility struggles, loss, identity shifts, and the pressure to hold it all together.

Today, I help women untangle anxiety, loosen the grip of perfectionism, and reconnect with themselves in a more compassionate, grounded way. I support clients in setting boundaries without guilt, trusting their inner voice again, and learning that they don’t have to earn rest, worth, or care.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected from yourself, or wondering why this season feels harder than you expected — you’re not alone.

And you don’t have to navigate it by yourself.