Andrea Kristensen

About

Andrea, a Licensed Social Worker, is dedicated to providing mental health and addiction counseling services to both adult and adolescent clients. She graduated from Rutgers University-New Brunswick with a Masters in Social Work in 2023.

Andrea helps clients navigate their unique life journeys by addressing their past experiences, empowering them in the present, and reimagining their futures. She recognizes the importance of clients’ agency and works collaboratively with them to facilitate personal growth and healing.

Andrea incorporates various evidence-based approaches into her practice, drawing from Cognitive- Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), complex trauma treatment, mindfulness- based healing, and a strengths-based approach. By integrating elements from these modalities, she tailors her therapeutic interventions to meet the specific needs of each client.

Gambling Treatment

Although the vast majority of people who gamble will do so without any long-lasting problems, about 1% of the the population has a gambling disorder, and of those individuals, only 8% will seek treatment.

As a graduate of the Addiction Counselor Training (ACT) program at Rutgers University, Andrea has received specialized training in the treatment of gambling disorder.

She has been trained in the use of psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, behavioral, and cognitive-behavioral treatment approaches that help individuals overcome their addiction.

When working as a member of a care team, Andrea will also coordinate with medical professionals who may prescribe pharmacological treatments.

When clients undergo these treatments, coupled with participation in self-help programs such as Gamblers Anonymous, they see a tremendous improvement in their abilities to overcome this challenging addiction.

Additional Information on Andrea

Andrea takes a client-centered approach to all her therapeutic activities, working on the foundation that good therapy must start from where the client is. She has been trained to work with people who have deep seated psychological pain and now seek relief.

Specifically, she works with people who have been diagnosed with substance abuse issues and who may also have severe co-occurring mental or behavioral disorders, including trauma, gambling, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, borderline personality disorder, psychosis, and more.

As these issues may afflict people at any age, across demographics, and genders, she works with individuals in whatever situation they happen to be.

Ideal Client

Clients who experience psychological pain often try to self-medicate through the use of substances and other addictive substances, or by participating in dangerous or self-destructive behaviors.

Andrea’s ideal client is someone who struggles with psychological pain but now desires help using evidence-based tools and techniques that relieve suffering, and lead to emotional healing.

Ideal clients have an open mind and are willing to be vulnerable and do hard therapeutic work.

Specialties

N  Substance Use Disorder
N  Trauma, PTSD
N  DBT / CBT
N  Recovery
N  Illness Management Recovery

Age

N  Pre-Teen
N  Teen
N  Young Adult
N  Adult
N  Elder (65+)

Client Focus

N  Individuals
N  Couples
N  Families

Treatment Approach

Understand where the clients are, what they need, and how to help them

Issues

N  Addictive Behavior/Gambling
N  Anxiety
N  Depression
N  Low Self-esteem
N  Addictions
N  Alcohol Use
N  Behavioral Issues
N  Bipolar
N  Borderline Personality
N  Depression
N  Psychosis
N  Schizoaffective
N  Substance Use
N  Trauma/PTSD