Profile / United States
Kristi Rachal, LCSW
Louisiana
Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Addictions and Relationships
See online therapy options- Addictions counseling
- CBT techniques
- Mindfulness practice
About Kristi
Kristi Rachal is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 23 years of experience in behavioral health in Louisiana. She helps people facing addiction, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, grief, and parenting challenges. She also addresses concerns like ADHD, stress, intimacy-related issues, and career-related stress.
Her background includes work in prisons, hospitals, home health, and hospice, plus private practice settings. She has experience with veterans, active duty military members, anger management, and addictions counseling. She also has experience with LGBTQ concerns and sex offender treatment.
Kristi describes her style as informal and straightforward. She emphasizes accountability and practical steps rather than long talks that go nowhere. Sessions focus on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new ways of responding to problems.
She commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques alongside mindfulness and solution-focused strategies. That means clients will practice noticing thought patterns, learn simple coping skills, and try small, achievable changes between sessions. The work is action-oriented and concrete.
Kristi often helps with family and relationship strains by focusing on communication and boundary-setting. She also supports people dealing with caregiver stress, blended family dynamics, infidelity, and substance use concerns. Her hospice and end-of-life experience informs work around grief and decision-related stress.
To start, she asks people to identify clear goals and then track progress with measurable steps. The emphasis is on practical tools that can be used in everyday life.
How Kristi uses CBT, mindfulness, and solution-focused work online
Kristi draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people notice how thoughts shape mood and behavior. CBT in practice means identifying specific unhelpful thoughts, testing them with small experiments, and building clearer routines that reduce stress and impulsive reactions.She also uses mindfulness techniques to help people step back from strong emotions and practice brief grounding skills. Mindfulness here focuses on simple awareness exercises to reduce reactivity and improve attention during stressful moments.
Solution-Focused Therapy is used to set short-term, measurable goals and to try concrete steps that lead toward those goals. That approach keeps sessions focused on problems the person wants to change now, rather than only exploring history.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. She will collaborate with each client to figure out which methods fit their goals, preferences, and daily routine. The plan can shift as needs change.
Confirm the current session options before booking since formats are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, reduce commute time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Some formats also require less bandwidth or let a client speak without being on camera, which can help on days when a longer visit would be hard to schedule.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
23+ years
Listed in
Louisiana, Oregon
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with most often?
She works with addictions, anxiety, depression, relationship and family issues, grief, parenting stress, ADHD, and intimacy-related concerns.
How does she typically approach therapy?
She uses an informal, solution-focused style that emphasizes accountability. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques and mindfulness exercises are used to create practical coping skills.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Kristi has 23 years of experience across prisons, hospitals, home health and hospice, and private practice settings.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and works in Louisiana.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions scheduled and what does it cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
What should I do to get started?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the 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.