Kristi Waidhofer

Hi, my name is Kristi Waidhofer (she/her/hers) and I believe walking into therapy is one of the bravest gifts you can give yourself. I try to create a calm, safe environment for clients. My style is relational, warm, kind, and encouraging which makes it easy for my clients to relax. I have a genuine, down-to-earth personality and I speak to clients in much the same way that I would talk to a friend or any other person in my life. I am not just a “smile and nod” therapist nor am I just going to stare at you until you start talking. I much prefer to roll up my sleeves and “sit in the suck” with you to make real movement towards your therapy goals. I work from a client-centered, strengths-based perspective to create comfort and empower my clients. You are the expert of your own life after all. I also incorporate “person-in-environment” which means I know you are heavily impacted by the multiple layers of your environment rather than YOU being the “sole cause of your problems”. I work with an understanding of neuroplasticity - the brain's ability to rewire and reorganize itself. People (of all ages) have the potential to grow, change and develop (you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!) Counseling is the place for you to take off the many masks you may wear, learn authenticity and self-compassion, and gain tools and techniques to help you feel better. I have experience working with adolescents, families, and adults experiencing a variety of issues including: anxiety, depression, trauma, emotional regulation issues, grief and loss, body issues and/or disordered eating (from an Intuitive Eating and Health At Every Size approach), LGBTQ+ concerns, family conflict, and substance use. I am passionate about social justice issues (sex, gender, race, class, ability, and more) and creating equity and agency for my clients. I have 18 years of social work experience, 10 of which were dedicated to helping adult mental health, trauma, and substance abuse through research and and direct practice. This has given me the unique ability to work with clients using the most recent evidence-based therapy approaches. The last 8 years have been devoted to high school students in a crisis and student support counselor capacity. This experience has fine-tuned my ability to remain calm in the storm and stay in the present moment to find working next steps and solutions. I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts focus on Psychology and a Master of Science in Social Work. I am clinically licensed in both Texas and Minnesota. When I am not working with clients (or limited to activities due to a pandemic) I enjoy listening to live music, hiking, photography, gardening, and trying to pet every animal that passes by.