About
What It's Like to Work With Me
I work with high-achieving women whose brains were built for systems, metrics, and predictable outcomes - and who are now navigating the most unpredictable thing they have ever encountered. Before you learn about my credentials, I want you to know what it actually feels like to be in a session together.
You've been carrying more than anyone knows.
Maybe you're the one who holds everything together: at work, at home, in your relationships. People see you as strong, capable, put-together - and you have spent a lot of energy making sure they do. But right now, something feels different. Your brain was wired for outcomes, and motherhood does not reward the skills that got you here. The energy it takes to simply get through the day has doubled, and the joy that used to come easily feels just out of reach.
You might be managing postpartum anxiety that keeps your mind racing at 2am - the same mind that used to solve problems effortlessly now running worst-case scenarios on repeat. You might be navigating an identity shift that makes you feel like a stranger in your own life, carrying guilt for not loving every moment the way you thought you would. Perhaps your relationship feels strained, or you simply cannot sleep - even when the baby does. And maybe, underneath all of it, there's a quiet knowing: I want to do this differently than it was done for me.
Imagine walking into a space that was built for you.
When you sit down for our first session - whether in my Bend office or from your couch at home - the first thing you'll notice is that there's no pressure to perform. You do not need to have the right words. You do not need to have it figured out. You do not need to hold it together. You just need to show up.
I'll listen, really listen, and then we'll get to work. Not the kind of "work" that feels like rehashing the same stories. The kind that gives you something tangible to take home at the end of every session. A skill. A framework. A shift in perspective that you can actually use when the baby is crying and your patience is wearing thin and your partner just said the wrong thing.
This isn't therapy as you've seen it on TV.
I use a combination of evidence-based approaches, including TEAM-CBT, DBT, ACT, CBT for insomnia, and the Gottman Method, but what that means for you is simple: we don't just talk about your feelings. We measure them, understand what drives them, and build real skills to change them. You'll feel the difference within weeks, not years.
After a few months of working together...
You'll start to notice the shift. The anxious thoughts that used to spiral for hours now pass through more quickly. You are sleeping, really sleeping. The conversations with your partner feel different - less like walking on eggshells, more like being on the same team. You look in the mirror and recognize the woman staring back. She is tired, yes. But she is grounded. She is capable. She is herself again - not the version of you that was just surviving, but the version that knows who she is, even in the unpredictability.
That's not a fantasy. That's the measurable, achievable change I help my clients create every day. Many of them are cycle breakers - parents who are intentionally choosing a different path - and this work gives them the tools to actually live it.
Meet Kristina
A therapist who has been where you are.
I'm Kristina Anzell, LCSW, PMH-C, a licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Perinatal Mental Health Specialist, and a mom who sat in the postpartum fog thinking, "I was prepared, so why is this so hard?" I know what it feels like to be asked "Don't you just love this phase?" and silently answer, "No, this is the hardest thing I have ever done." I also know what it is like to be the woman who excelled at everything she touched - and then to feel like motherhood was the one thing she could not crack.
I specialize in perinatal mental health, with advanced training in TEAM-CBT, DBT, ACT, CBT for Insomnia, the Gottman Method, and pediatric sleep consulting. I provide treatments that actually work, so you can start feeling better sooner.
When I'm not in session, you'll find me chasing my own littles around Central Oregon, hiking with my husband, or sneaking in a quiet cup of coffee before the house wakes up.
In-Person at the Kiln (Bend, OR) | Walk-and-Talk at the River (Bend, OR) | Home Visits (5-mi radius) | Telehealth in OR, CA and FL
Ready to feel like yourself again?
Let's schedule a free 20-minute consultation - no obligations, no pressure. We'll talk about what you're going through and decide together if we're a good fit.