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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.