Christi Brandenstein, MAC, LPC

FullSizeRender (23)For the last nineteen years, I’ve had the privilege of walking with people through the difficult places in their lives.  My work started in Nashville, TN, where I began my career helping children and families in crisis begin addressing the patterns that kept them in crisis.  I earned a Masters in Counseling in 1998 and was licensed as a Professional Counselor in 2002.  Over the years, I have counseled individuals, couples, children and adolescents with a wide variety of mental health concerns, relationship challenges, parenting difficulties and spiritual struggles.  I have additional training in treating sexual trauma, personality disorders, and EMDR.

I have a special interest in helping children find ways to communicate their stories, thus I pursued specific training in the area of child-centered play therapy. Several years ago, CrossRoads invited me to put together a therapeutic playroom, giving children the tools they need to communicate their inner world.  More recently, I have learned to adapt EMDR techniques to help children cope with trauma and anxiety.  Along with a CrossRoads colleague, I received training from the Attachment Trauma Center Institute on the Attachment Intervention Protocol, helping parents and children with disrupted attachment use EMDR together to bond and heal.

Three years ago, when our beloved leader, Doug Samsel, was called to a new adventure, CrossRoads invited me to become our Executive Director.  It is a humbling privilege to shepherd this great organization that has been responsible for much personal and professional growth in my own life.  I am grateful that God is allowing me to use my gifts here, where I have come to understand both the depth, nuance and artistry of clinical counseling with a redemptive worldview.

While I take great satisfaction in my work, my greatest thrill is sharing life with my husband, Mike, and nurturing our three lively daughters, Zoe, Mia, and Evi.

If you are considering counseling, you can call 314.887.7706 or email me directly at christibrandenstein@stl-ccc.org.

License #2007008630