01 · Who Christy works with

Christy works with stress, Anxiety, addictions and self esteem

Christy lists 14 specialisms and 24 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Christy chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Christy's own words

What Christy says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I'm so glad that you are reaching out for help! I believe with all my heart that there is hope, and purpose and healing from pain. I am a Licensed Addictions counselor in South Dakota, and a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor in South Dakota and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Iowa. I have been practicing for over 30+ years working with adults and adolescents struggling with addictions and mental health issues. This is a judgement free zone! I am a Chrisitan counselor with a passion for hope and healing through the love of God and evidenced based strategies. I am experienced in 12 Step therapies, DBT and CBT, Gottman couples work, and Polyvagal approaches. I am also trained in ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy). I approach counseling from an existential and spiritual perspective. We will work together to create a plan to best meet your needs and walk through the healing journey together. You are not alone!

I also have a passion for helping to develop new clinicians and to support clinicians long in the field. I have over 22 years of experience providing clinical supervision and professional development. Helpers need helpers too! So don't be afraid to admit you are struggling and ask for help! You can do this!

As for scheduling, I do not open slots through self-scheduling. Please reach out and we will talk about scheduling together. I have limited availability on nights and weekends, but am not opposed to making something work for you when you are willing to fully engage in the therapy process.

Together we can do what we could not do alone. Thanks for reaching out!!

Christy Stuetelberg, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Christy works

The 8 approaches Christy lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Christy lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Christy's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Christy runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

The Gottman Method

A couples approach built on decades of observational research into what distinguishes relationships that last. Structured and assessment-led: it maps friendship, conflict and shared meaning, then works on the specific mechanics of how the two of you argue.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy
• Somatic Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Christy practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Christy's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Christy at this point.

2. Naming Christy specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Christy is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Christy.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

3 questions worth asking Christy

Built from what Christy actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Christy's - Christy has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “With 32 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LMHC

Licensed in

Iowa

Licence

IA LMHC 111880, SD LPC-MH LPC-MH2270

Licence number

LPC-MH2270

Licence expires

30 Nov 2026

NPI

1972260180

Years in practice

32

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Christy's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Christy. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.