Cristina Santos

MA, LMFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Cristina is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with McDermott Counseling. She began her work as a therapist for children, families, and coparents. She is trained in EMDR, TF-CBT, DBT, and several other modalities that add to her eclectic approach to therapy. She enjoys incorporating art and other creative methods to her sessions to allow clients to experiment with a variety of outlets for the information they are working to process.

She has experience working with children and families in the education system as well as providing services for children with autism. Cristina has also worked with individuals in foster care, elders, as well as those who are coping with grief and loss. Cristina has extensive experience counseling youth and adults in both mental health and substance abuse settings. She brings her knowledge and experience to the individuals and their families she serves today.

Cristina was born and raised in the Central Valley. Like many locals, she was born to immigrant parents. Being of Azorean, Portuguese roots she not only takes pride in her heritage but loves to learn about the cultures of others and celebrate them whenever possible. Cristina enjoys spending time volunteering at her local Portuguese Hall and serving members of her community. Cristina is fluent in Portuguese as well. She was raised by her parents on their farm, where she learned the importance and value of family working together to maintain land and livestock. She enjoys working with and serving populations from all walks of life.

Her interest in helping survivors of trauma is a personal and professional passion that has been a constant motivator throughout her career in mental health. She continues to hone her skills to treat individuals coping with trauma, anxiety, and a wide range of mental health issues. Her passion for learning and serving others is what continues to keep her growing and evolving as a therapist and loving the therapeutic process. Her personal philosophy for serving others is created around the idea that good therapeutic work happens when we meet people where they are and create plans that are tailored to their personal needs.