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About
Christine MacInnis, LMFT
The Full Story
After twenty-five years of working with teens and young adults in a school setting as a school counselor, I am honored to support adults and families in understanding their neurotypes and dealing with the trauma of being misunderstood by co-workers, friends, and family members from growing up in a society that often labels them as the "problem. As an AuDHD person who was diagnosed as autistic later in life, I understand that feeling well. I work from a strength-based, parts-work lens that understands the challenges of autism, ADHD, and auDHD from a lived experience perspective and use a neurodivergent-affirming EMDR model that I developed to help them heal from trauma. I love helping parents, teens, and young adults in high-conflict families learn to communicate more effectively and build stronger relationships. I am a very effective mediator and can support both sides equally in both marital and family therapy. I also provide therapy for families adjusting to a more affirmative stance on neurodiversity and providing repair and healing of those relationships. For partners who struggle to communicate, I use my ability to have a felt sense of what each partner is trying to say and translate it to them in an effective way. One of my couples coined me the "neurodivergent whisperer," which I took as one of the highest compliments I could receive.
My passion also lies in helping family members of those in the transgender and gender-expansive community with education and acceptance-building, and referrals to therapists of trans lived experience for their loved ones. As a bisexual female, I am very passionate about assisting families in all areas related to the LGBTQIA community, so I also volunteer my time with our local South Bay PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Chapter as a facilitator and former board member. I am a member of WPATH (World Organization of Transgender Health) and CAMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists).
Lastly, the COVID years have taught all of us more than we ever wanted to know about trauma, so I decided to become more trauma-informed and to dive into the practice of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). It has completely changed my work as a therapist, now being trained in a somatic-based, trauma-informed approach that is backed by over 30 years of research. I am a fully certified and approved consultant with EMDRIA, the international association for practitioners of EMDR. I also train other therapists in EMDR from a neurodivergent-affirming lens and was one of the first in the organization's history to do so. I help adult clients of all ages process traumas, large and small, that are holding them back from living a full life. Read more about it EMDR - CLICK HERE.
My Approach
My main tenet is the belief that the client is the expert of their own self and that I am merely the guide. There will be no shame or judgment, simply support for the most shame-producing memories they hold. I often use laughter and humor to remind the client not to take themselves so seriously. We will laugh and cry a lot in the session(A LOT!) as life holds both extremes.
My therapeutic style uses person-centered and solution-focused methods to foster self-understanding among clients and encourage them to learn the best ways to respond to life situations. I also work from a trauma-informed perspective and utilize neurobiological approaches such as EMDR to heal oneself through the power of one's own brain. In addition, I view ourselves as parts of a whole. I will share Internal Family Systems as a way for the client to see that facets hold memories and traumas, and at times provide protection for themselves, and that they are ALL positive in their attempts to help. I also do a great deal of psycho-education on neurotypes like autism and ADHD on why our brains and bodies react the way they do. I also explain how trauma affects the nervous system and causes us to reenact past trauma to understand ourselves better. I learned that even basic education alleviates a lot of anxiety and negative beliefs they were holding about their past. That's the fancy therapy talk!
What it means is that I do not sit back and nod at you; rather, I work hard to be with you in the therapy room or online, providing active listening and, when needed, gently challenging you. I use humor. We will laugh a lot! I will be searching for your strengths, quickly identifying the areas where you are excelling, and building upon them. For my gender expansive and neurodivergent clients, I will also be an affirming ally and a strong advocate for your needs in all areas- social, family, educational, career, and medical. My work is also anti-racist informed. By that I mean, I pay black folks who do anti-racism training to continue my education and challenge my privilege. I read extensively and try to advocate using my own privilege. My favorite resource for anti-racism training is www.theblackful.com.
It is essential to keep in mind that therapy is not a magic pill or a quick fix: therapy is a healing process that necessitates participation and investment from the client and family alike. But in the end, making small changes to self-defeating behavior and coping with feelings of sadness, fear, and pain can bring life-altering results. My line with new clients is, you will not recognize yourself a year from now. And more than one has shared, "I remember you saying it, and it is SO true!" I love watching the transformation occur as clients learn to cope with their lives in their own way.
Let’s Work Together
Get in touch so we can start working together.