About Cristi

As a school counselor, I could see kids needed more help than I could provide in the school setting, especially those who had experienced trauma. I began training in the most effective therapies for treating trauma: EMDR (click to learn more about EMDR) and Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavior Therapy(TF-CBT). After further training in Play Therapy, I opened my private practice, Heart Space llc.

Working with children quickly became working with adults, too! I found I was equally passionate in my work with parents, educators, and all adults striving to make change.

The helping field of Social Work caught my attention in the 1990s when I was studying music at Colorado State University. I immediately changed my course of study and graduated with my bachelor’s degree a few years later. I focused on elders and hospice care for 16 years. I became a mother and my life flipped upside down (in a good way)!  I was so in love with my children and their little friends. I just knew I just had to work with kids and parents while my children were young.

I earned a special education teaching certificate in 2010 at Western State University, then taught students with significant needs. Later, I earned a school specialist certificate in Social Work when I graduated from the University of Denver with a master’s degree in Social Work in 2015. As a self-professed “brain geek,” I am passionate about learning and applying brain science in my practice with clients of all ages. And, as a lifelong learner, I continually strive to integrate the best, most effective, research-based techniques into my practice.  

I'm grateful for the positive meandering path of my professional career, as I am now equipped to help people of all ages with their deepest healing.