Christina Kantzavelos is a neurodivergent, and first-generation (third culture) Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), life coach, writer and chronic illness warrior. She received both her BA and MSW from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and her MLIS from San Jose State University (SJSU).
She specializes in treating clients with chronic health conditions (aka spoonies and medical refugees) and trauma (including medical trauma).
Chronic medical conditions -- i.e. diabetes, dysautonomia, EDS, Lyme disease, bartonella, Hashimoto’s, mast cell activation syndrome, vasculitis, back, and neck pain, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, vertigo, IBS, IBD, sickle cell disease, mold illness, etc. -- often come with significant challenges, like fear, anxiety, medical PTSD, and may interfere with relationships and daily function. It is her experience and belief that chronic illnesses are often rooted in trauma(s) that cause a chronic stress/fight-or-flight response, not allowing the body to prioritize healing.
She utilizes various holistic evidence-based treatment modalities and practice-based modalities such as EMDR to get to the root, with an added focus on mindfulness techniques, positive psychology, neural retraining and strengths-based therapy. In addition, she provides life coaching, case management, and elder and disability care planning and support.
Her experience includes 14 years of clinical experience in a range of settings, including both outpatient and inpatient psychiatric services, acute inpatient hospital services (telemetry, medical/surgical, labor and delivery, ER, Behavioral Health and ICU), insurance case management, assertive community treatment (ACT), home health, hospice, applied behavioral analysis (ABA) for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), disaster mental health (humanitarian work), psychedelic assisted therapy (including ketamine), and private therapy and coaching. She is warm, interactive, and treats everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion and likes to meet her clients where they are.
She is also a
writer, and an
award-winning gluten-free and health-conscious travel and lifestyle blogger, @buenqamino. She currently sits on the board for
Ride Out Lyme, an organization that provides grant funding for patients with Lyme disease, and volunteers as a facilitator and sits on the board for
San Diego Lyme Alliance (Bay Area Lyme Foundation affiliate).
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