Profile / United States
Kristen Buongiorno, LCSW
New Jersey
Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Stress and Anxiety
See online therapy options- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Mindfulness practices
- DBT skills work
About Kristen
Kristen Buongiorno is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in New Jersey with 14 years of clinical experience. She focuses on stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, and a broad range of life and relationship concerns. Kristen also works with people facing addictions, ADHD, grief, caregiver strain, and issues related to identity and intimacy.
Her work centers on the connection between thoughts and behavior, drawing on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice patterns that keep problems going. She pairs that with client-centered methods that focus on the person’s priorities and dialectical behavior therapy skills when emotion regulation and coping strategies are needed. Mindfulness and motivational interviewing are additional tools she uses to support change.
Kristen describes sessions as collaborative and practical. She helps people set clear goals and tests small changes between sessions. She also discusses safety planning when necessary and pays attention to immediate risks.
Her background includes supporting people affected by sexual assault, serious illness such as cancer, and veterans’ issues. She brings experience addressing abandonment, adoption and foster care concerns, body image, kink and alternative sexual cultures, and first responder stress.
People meet her for focused work on communication problems, commitment and infidelity concerns, career stresses, and life purpose questions. Therapy is presented as a process of trying different responses, noticing what works, and adjusting as needed.
How her main approaches work in online sessions
Kristen commonly draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify thinking and behavior patterns that maintain problems. CBT sessions tend to focus on concrete goals, short experiments to try between sessions, and reviewing what changed.She also uses Client-Centered Therapy, which means sessions prioritize the person’s concerns and choices. That approach makes room for the client to set the pace and topics while the therapist follows their lead. Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills are used when emotion regulation, distress tolerance, or interpersonal effectiveness strategies are needed; those portions of work include skill teaching and practice.
Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Kristen will collaborate with someone to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. She will adjust techniques based on what helps most as the work proceeds.
Confirm specific session formats before booking because the biography does not list formats. Online sessions can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy schedule, allow for shorter check-ins when needed, and let people join from a location with fewer interruptions. These practical benefits help people maintain consistency and try new coping strategies between meetings.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
14+ years
Listed in
New Jersey
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she commonly address?
She addresses stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, addictions, ADHD, grief, and a wide range of relationship and identity issues.
How does she use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
She uses CBT to help people notice unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, try alternative responses, and measure what changes between sessions.
What is her professional background?
She has 14 years of clinical experience working with people dealing with depression, anxiety, sexual assault, illness, and veterans issues.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, licensed in New Jersey and practices from that state.
Does she work in other languages or with international clients?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
What session formats are offered?
Please confirm current session options before booking, as the biography does not list specific formats.
How are sessions paid for and what does cost look like?
Costs vary with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are not safe, use the crisis numbers.