Carissa Gustafson (she/her)

There are many different manifestations of anxiety including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic attacks and panic disorder, phobias, and social anxiety disorder. There are other diagnoses such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that are also associated with anxiety.

Depression doesn’t look just one way. There are many different types of depression and it can be experienced and expressed very differently depending on the person. There is something called persistent depressive disorder or dysthymia, which is a chronic low-grade depression experienced over a period of 2+ years as well as major depressive disorder (MDD), which is experienced episodically for a period of 2 weeks or more; you can experience one or both.

Stress is simply the body's way of responding to threats. Stress can actually be very helpful in responding to immediate threats or demands. However, when we find ourselves facing constant pressure from work or school, stress can become chronic and turn into burnout. This type of stress impacts both your physical health, suppressing your immune system for example, and mental health, making you more vulnerable to things like depression.

CBT helps people gain awareness of unhelpful thought patterns and work on changing them so that they are both healthier and more realistic. This positively impacts people's mood and their behavior.

DBT teaches a set of skills (i.e., emotional regulation, interpersonal skills, mindfulness, and distress tolerance) to help people with mood instability and/or self-harm behaviors find more balance and build healthier relationships.

ACT teaches people skills, such as mindfulness and compassion, to learn how to relate to their difficult thoughts and feelings in a way that allows them to commit to taking ACTions to make their life better!

I am passionate about women's mental health.

I have advanced training and certification in perinatal mental health. I especially enjoy working with women who are trying to conceive, experiencing reproductive challenges, navigating high-risk pregnancies, have experienced pregnancy loss, birth trauma, and/or a PMAD such as postpartum depression and/or postpartum anxiety.