Kassie Straker

I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Board Certified Registered Art Therapist, a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and hold a masters in Criminology. I have been providing therapeutic services since 2011 and specialize in addictions, grief/loss, adolescents, and trauma. I've had the privilege to work in various settings such as community work with grief and loss, adult inpatient substance use treatment, adolescent & young adult residential, and therapeutic day school setting. I have experience working with a wide range of client concerns such as emotional dysregulation, interpersonal skills, distress tolerance, mindfulness, anxiety/depression, identity development, life transitions, trauma, gender identity, LGBTQIA+ issues, as well as grounding & coping skill building. My area of focus currently is trauma-focused therapy, addictions, and identity development. My practice is based on an Adlerian perspective, with a strengths-based approach, and I incorporate DBT and motivational interviewing. I provide an inclusive environment as I believe that mental health is impacted by our intersecting identities, which leads to different experiences in our society.


My goal as a therapist is to creatively collaborate with my clients in their healing journey. I believe my role in the therapeutic relationship consists of constructing a safe place for them to process their lived experiences and explore areas where they want to grow. I incorporate art therapy in a variety of ways for different reasons and interventions. Exercising creativity in therapy can be an effective way to develop creative problem-solving skills, explore your emotional expression, reduce stress, manage behaviors, increase self-esteem, and expand insight and introspection.