- Trauma-informed care
- Practical coping tools
- Person-centered pace
About Christina
Christina Bonniwell is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LIMFT) based in Ohio who brings eight years of hands-on experience to her work. She focuses on helping people through anxiety, depression, trauma, and major life changes. Christina aims to make therapy feel like a real conversation rather than a checklist.
Her background includes work in psychiatric inpatient units, crisis stabilization, and substance use treatment. Those roles gave her a lot of direct experience with people in acute distress and taught her to stay calm in high-pressure moments. She has also worked in county behavioral health clinics and skilled nursing facilities, so she is familiar with concerns across many life stages.
Christina describes her style as warm, direct, and a bit unconventional. She tends to bring humor and creativity into sessions when it fits, and she prioritizes being present and engaged rather than simply listening from the sidelines. That approach is meant to make sessions feel approachable and useful.
She uses a trauma-informed, client-centered stance in her work. That means helping people figure out what works for them instead of delivering a one-size-fits-all plan. The focus is on the person’s specific story, pace, and goals.
People come to her for a range of problems, including stress, self-esteem, coping with life transitions, and codependency. Christina aims to help people find practical ways to manage symptoms and build small things to look forward to, even during hard times.
Approaches that guide online care
Christina uses evidence-based techniques in a trauma-informed, client-centered way. One common approach she relies on focuses on building coping skills and practical strategies to manage anxiety and depression. This usually means learning simple tools to reduce immediate overwhelm and practicing them between sessions to see what helps most.She also emphasizes trauma-informed work that helps people make sense of painful experiences without being pushed through them. That approach prioritizes pacing and safety, and it supports people who are dealing with abuse, complex trauma, or intense stress responses.
Finding the right method is part of the work together. Christina treats therapy as a collaborative process - she helps clients identify goals, tries techniques, and adjusts the plan based on what is actually helping. Clients play an active role in deciding pace and focus.
Confirm the available session options before booking, since formats are not specified here. In general, online care can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy life, shorten commute time, and allow quick check-ins when needed. It can also let someone choose phone or video based on whether they want to be on camera or need a brief call during a work break. Ask about format options when you schedule to match sessions with your needs.
Areas of expertise
Additional focus areas
Experience
8+ years
Credentials
Ohio
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, self-esteem concerns, and coping with life changes. Additional focus areas include codependency, attachment issues, and caregiver stress.
How would you describe her therapy style?
Her style is warm, direct, and a bit unconventional, often using creativity and humor when appropriate. She aims for real conversation and collaborative problem solving rather than a rigid plan.
What is her clinical background?
She has eight years of experience working in psychiatric inpatient units, crisis stabilization, substance use settings, county behavioral health clinics, and skilled nursing facilities. That experience includes crisis assessments and trauma work.
What credential does she hold and where is she located?
She holds the LIMFT credential, which indicates she is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and she practices in Ohio.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are sessions paid for?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin therapy with her?
Choose the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to the therapist's availability.
Profile details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. Credential and registration rules differ between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.