Christine O'Neill

I have been working as a therapist with a myriad of clients for over 14 years. I believe the goal of therapy is to move forward towards a better life for yourself. My techniques consist of working through issues using cognitive behavioral therapies to help you learn how to work better with your thoughts/brain and motivational interviewing to empower you to find answers for yourself. As a lifelong athlete, my style is one of a coach, a motivator, and someone to encourage you to see ways to make small changes in how you think or act in order to achieve your goals.
Throughout my career I have worked extensively with pervasive mental illness, addictions, and trauma. Through these experiences, I have learned that people are capable of change, no matter how large or small, if they truly desire to create change in their life. When looking at your life it is critical to take a step outside to see ways to reconfigure your “puzzle” in a way that suits your needs.

Over the past few years, I have begun working with clients who are struggling with attention deficits and have learned strategies to assist clients in finding ways to manage their symptoms and the ways they affect their every day lives. I also have experience working with clients who struggle with anxieties from being school related to creating issues in everyday functioning.
Part of what drives me to continue working as a psychotherapist day in and day out is the change, I have seen in clients who have been positively impacted by their therapeutic partnership with me. While the therapeutic relationship is one that should be driven by the client, this partnership between client and therapist is critical to creating forward, goal-directed movement. These goals are not always what people traditionally think of as things people strive for such as running a marathon or being a millionaire. Therapy goals can be as simple as I would like to be able to feel more in control of my schedule or I want to be able to manage my anxiety better so that I can go to my son’s soccer games. Often times, once someone gets the ball rolling in regard to their goals, new goals arise and feel easier to attain.

I have learned that the best course to creating change is to be available to clients when they are in moments where they are faced with an issue that has given them pause in the past. An example of this could be that you are always anxious your child will get hurt. You are at your sister’s house and despite asking her son to ride his bike with his helmet on, he has disobeyed. As the family is outside playing together, you watch your nephew crash on his bicycle and hit his head on the mailbox post, causing it to bleed. This sends your anxiety into overdrive and you are so paralyzed by your emotions that you are unable to be of much help in the situation. Yet another example could be that you are faced with a fear of flying yet it is absolutely necessary you take a flight to be with a sick family member. As you walk into the airport your hands go clammy and you feel like you may become sick to your stomach. Both of these are situations where a client would begin a text conversation with me in order to work through the issues, they are facing head on and in the moment. Of course, it is not always possible, but I always do my best to be as available as possible. If I was not available right when the issue occurred, we would schedule for the next best time to make sure we can manage the emotions and actions that took place as soon as possible.
With regard to addictions, these come in many shapes and sizes. While there are similarities between many addictions, they are also highly individualized and require a calm and patient listener. My experience is in dealing with addictions in my personal life as well as in my professional life. I have spent time working with clients who are having difficulties dealing with issues within their life and have turned to over-drinking wine every night to cope. On the other side, I have worked with people who are struggling with severe alcoholism and are not endorsing any treatment. My approach is always to meet each person where they are at each and every time we connect. At times I just sit and listen without providing the person with resources or ideas to help them with their addiction. Other times I can be more goal oriented and direct in order to help the person to see that they have options beyond using substances to cope with their emotions. Addiction is based in both genetics and environment, and it takes both for someone to surrender to their dependence on a substance, regardless of what that might be.

Overall, I believe change is possible. As the saying goes, “where there is a will there is a way.” Time and time again I have seen people work towards attaining their goals, and not only achieve them, but reach far beyond their initial target. In our therapeutic partnership I will be your cheerleader, motivator, truth teller, and reality checker throughout the time we work with one another. I make a promise to you that I will always be honest and to honor you as someone who is looking to improve their life, big or small. Every success that you have will be due to your hard work and perseverance paired with the humility and desire for happiness that are necessary to reach out for help. I believe in you and the hardest part of reaching for a goal is asking for help. We can do this as an incredible team with one main focus, YOU! As Walt Disney said, “if you dream it, you can do it.”