01 · Who Kristin works with

Kristin works with stress, Anxiety, grief and coping with life changes

Kristin lists 12 specialisms and 26 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Kristin chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Kristin's own words

What Kristin says about the work

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

Hello and welcome! My name is Kristin Malaer, LCSW-S, CCTSW-MCS, CCTP. I am licensed in Texas with over 10 years of medical social work and 8 years of clinical social work experience. I have worked specifically with chronically ill clients as well as transplant recipients and in palliative care. I look forward to working with you towards your goals!

I am a highly skilled and compassionate clinical therapist specializing in several crucial areas: stress and anxiety, grief and loss, compassion fatigue, chronic illness, life changes, and coping strategies. My therapeutic style can be best described as empowering, as I strongly believe in the inherent power and capacity for change that lies within each individual. My approach therapy lies with a firm belief that you have the ability to take control of your life and overcome challenges with the strengths within.

In our sessions and virtual messages, I create a safe and non-judgmental space where you can freely express thoughts, emotions, and concerns. I will actively listen to your experiences, providing genuine empathy and understanding. By offering unconditional support, we will establish a strong therapeutic alliance built on trust and accountability. As I challenge you, I also welcome feedback to cater my approach to your needs.

I believe in the importance of personal accountability and will guide you to recognize and take responsibility for your own growth and well-being. I work to help you understand the internal resources necessary to navigate through difficult times. Rather than fostering dependence, I will encourage you to tap into your own strengths, resilience, and coping mechanisms. Through this process, I empower you to make positive changes and regain a sense of control over your life.

Drawing from my expertise in stress and anxiety management, I will employ evidence-based therapeutic techniques such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness practices. Overall, I help clients identify and challenge negative thought patterns and develop effective coping strategies to manage stressors. Additionally, I integrate grief and loss counseling techniques to assist individuals in processing their emotions and finding meaning after experiencing significant losses.

As a specialist in compassion fatigue, I am particularly attuned to the unique needs of professionals in demanding fields, including healthcare or caregiving. I provide targeted support to individuals experiencing burnout, helping them develop self-care practices and boundary-setting strategies to prevent emotional exhaustion and compassion fatigue.

Moreover, my expertise in chronic illness and life changes enables me to guide clients through the emotional and psychological complexities associated with these challenges. I assist clients in adapting to their new circumstances, normalizing grief, finding meaning, and exploring opportunities for personal growth.

Overall, my therapeutic style focuses on fostering client empowerment while acknowledging their inherent capacity for change. By combining empathy, accountability, evidence-based techniques, and specialized knowledge, you help clients develop the skills and resilience needed to overcome obstacles and lead fulfilling lives.

Kristin Malaer, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Kristin works

The 11 approaches Kristin lists, in plain English

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

Attachment-Based Therapy

Reads present-day relationship difficulty through the lens of how safety and closeness were learned early on. The therapeutic relationship itself is treated as part of the work, because it is where the pattern tends to show up first.

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.

Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT

Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.

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.

Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed

CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

Internal Family SystemsIFS

Treats the mind as made up of parts - the critic, the one who withdraws, the one that keeps everything running - each of which is trying to protect you. The work is getting to know them rather than overruling them.

Also listed

• Somatic Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Kristin 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 Kristin'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 Kristin at this point.

2. Naming Kristin specifically

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

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 Kristin

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

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Attachment-Based 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.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “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

LCSW

Licensed in

Texas

Licence

TX LCSW 54406

Licence number

54406

Licence expires

31 Mar 2028

NPI

1598458002

Years in practice

5

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Kristin'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 Kristin. 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.