Christa Jacaruso

Christa Jacaruso is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 24 years of clinical experience based in Connecticut. She works with adults dealing with addictions, relationship problems, and life changes. Her practice includes coaching for people who feel stuck and managing compassion fatigue. Christa commonly sees high-functioning people who maintain responsibilities while struggling inside. She talks through patterns that keep people stuck and helps build practical skills for everyday life. She focuses on issues such as substance and behavioral addictions, relationship harm, and emotional overwhelm. Her work addresses a broad range of concerns, including abandonment, caregiver stress, chronic illness, codependency, communication problems, dissociation, and the effects of divorce or separation. She also supports people facing aging and geriatric issues and those on the autism spectrum when those topics come up in therapy. Christa uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques alongside methods like Dialectical Behavior Therapy, clinical hypnotherapy, art therapy, and mindfulness. Sessions aim to increase insight while offering concrete tools to change long-standing patterns and manage intense emotions. She prefers to work with motivated adults who take an active role in their work together. Early sessions focus on identifying obstacles and creating a practical plan. Later work concentrates on building coping skills, boundary-setting, and repairing the impact of manipulative or abusive relationships.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Christa integrates Dialectical Behavior Therapy and mindfulness into her work. DBT focuses on teaching concrete skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and improving interpersonal effectiveness. Mindfulness practices help people notice patterns and reduce reactivity to intense feelings.

She also uses clinical hypnotherapy and art therapy as adjuncts when appropriate. Clinical hypnotherapy can help with habit change and reducing cravings tied to addictions. Art therapy provides a different way to express difficult experiences when words are hard to find.

Choosing the right approach is part of the collaborative process. Christa will review your concerns, goals, and preferences and help decide which techniques to try. That decision is adjusted as you work together and is guided by what helps you manage symptoms and move toward your goals.

Session formats were not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. In general, online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. Licensed professionals often use skills-based exercises, between-session practice, and focused plans that translate well to remote appointments.