Therapist Profile

• Kristen Birkland LMFT

Kristen Birkland is a Virginia State Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). She is a Clinical Member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. Kristen received her M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Virginia Tech University. She provides outpatient therapy to individuals, couples, families and adolescents, using various systemic therapy interventions. Kristen helps people seeking guidance around problems with depression, anxiety, self esteem; divorce/blended family issues, relationship issues, parenting and communication. Kristen is certified in Prepare/Enrich pre-marital counseling.

Counseling Experience

Kristen's counseling experience includes work in private practice settings providing brief client-centered individual, couple, and family therapy to adolescents and adults. She helps with issues around mood imbalance (depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder), anger management, relationship problems, divorce, blended family adjustment, self-esteem, general adjustment problems and adolescent behavioral problems. Kristen has experience doing psycho-educational/social skills building groups with children and teens, groups focused on depression and anxiety for adults, and multi-family groups. She has experience counseling children and teens with behavioral, emotional, and/or substance abuse issues in a residential setting. As part of her graduate program, Kristen worked with court ordered and self-referred male perpetrators of domestic violence seeking anger management treatment in a group setting and co-facilitated a multi-couple group of individuals having had experienced mild domestic violence.

Education

1. Virginia Tech State University, Falls Church, VA. Master of Science, Marriage and Family Therapy.
2. Virginia Tech State University, Blacksburg, VA. Bachelors of Science, Family and Child Development.

Certifications

1. Prepare/Enrich Pre-Marital Counseling, 1999-present.

Professional Organizations

1. American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Member, May 2003-present.
2. Life Innovations, Certified in Prepare/Enrich Premarital Training, June 1999-present.

Presentations

1. American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy Poster Presentation. “A Comparison of Depressed and Non-Depressed Male Perpetrators of Partner Violence”