Christie Carol Spahr

Christie Carol Spahr is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California with 26 years of professional experience. She focuses on stress, anxiety, relationships, self-esteem, depression, and coping with life changes. Christie also addresses issues such as attachment and abandonment, body image, communication and control problems, divorce and separation, and questions about life purpose.

Christie helps people clarify who they are and practice self-compassion, tolerance, trust, and confidence. She uses straightforward conversation to help clients manage painful experiences like sadness, panic, or post-traumatic stress. Sessions emphasize noticing thoughts, emotions, and patterns that get in the way of everyday functioning.

Her work draws on humanistic, existential, and person-centered perspectives. She also uses motivational and narrative approaches, and spoken word techniques, to help people reframe life stories and make concrete changes. Sessions tend to focus on practical steps alongside reflective conversation.

Christie trained with a BA in Religious Studies from the University of Oregon and later earned an MA in Psychology with a specialty in Marriage and Family Therapy. Before graduate school she worked in sports marketing and studied Indigenous cultures, experiences she says influenced how she thinks about identity and resilience.

Outside of therapy, Christie is a lifelong runner who has completed marathons worldwide. She often refers to lessons from running when talking about persistence, facing hard things, and recognizing small progress toward longer goals.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Christie uses humanistic and person-centered approaches that focus on the client's experience in the moment. This means sessions often start with the client's current concerns and feelings, and the therapist helps name and make sense of those reactions. Such work can help with anxiety, low mood, and relationship worries.

She also draws on existential ideas to address questions about meaning and life purpose. These conversations look at values, choices, and how someone wants to spend their time. Narrative techniques are used to examine personal stories and try out alternative ways of understanding past events and identity issues.

Deciding which approach fits best is part of the work. Christie will work collaboratively to figure out which methods match a person's goals, needs, and preferences. That choice can shift as practical goals or life circumstances change.

The biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm the current online options before booking. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy day, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It can also let people speak with a licensed professional who practices in California while living elsewhere, including internationally, depending on scheduling and any regional requirements.