01 · Who Kirsten works with

Kirsten works with stress, Anxiety, parenting issues and anger management

Kirsten lists 10 specialisms and 6 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Kirsten chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Kirsten's own words

What Kirsten says about the work

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

I am a family and marriage counselor licensed in California in 2018. I am also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2014. I have worked in the field of Behavior Analysis for over 12 years, specializing in treatment for those diagnosed with Autism and other developmental delays. In addition, I have worked with adults with a variety of presenting concerns, including depression, anxiety, anger management, ADHD, parenting challenges and life changes.

My counseling style is warm, collaborative and supportive. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion, and I don't believe in stigmatizing labels. My approach combines cognitive-behavioral, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Solution Focused and humanistic. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs.

I believe in focusing on the here and now and working together on solutions to improve your mental health and quality of life. Your therapy is a team effort and I am here for you.

It takes courage to seek for a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. If you are ready to take that step I am here to support and empower you.

I look forward to working with you!

Kirsten Suarez, on the BetterHelp listing · read 10 Oct 2026

03 · How Kirsten works

The 5 approaches Kirsten lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Kirsten lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Kirsten'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 Kirsten runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

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.

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.

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.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Kirsten 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 Kirsten'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 Kirsten at this point.

2. Naming Kirsten specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Kirsten 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 Kirsten.

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 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LMFT

Licensed in

California

Licence

CA LMFT 106536

Licence number

106536

Licence expires

30 Apr 2028

NPI

1508117045

Years in practice

3

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

06 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Kirsten'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 10 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 Kirsten. 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.