Stacy Donn Cristo

Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC

Accepting new clients for morning & daytime appointments in Providence practice (updated February 05, 2020)

Specialties & Expertise

Holistic counseling
College & graduate student mental health
Mid-life existential, relationship, and career challenges
Artists' mental health
Career transitions and direction
Family issues
Sexual identity
Relationships
Trauma
Feminist psychology

Internal Family Systems (IFS)
ADHD
Adjustment
Body image
Codependency
Communication
Transition to motherhood
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
Parenting

Professional statement

Stacy Donn Cristo is a holistic psychotherapist in Providence, RI who specializes in working with students, young adults in their 20s, artists, and adults navigating midlife changes.

Clients often come to Stacy’s office for support with anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, exploring questions of identity, and challenges related to family of origin and current roadblocks. Stacy encourages clients to bring the body into therapy by incorporating grounding exercises, gentle yoga, reconnecting with the breath and other various somatic interventions.

Stacy enjoys working with college students who are struggling to balance academic expectations with developing healthy self-care routines and finding their authentic voice. As an artist, she also has deep expertise in working with creative professionals, as well as adults in midlife facing questions about what comes next in relationships, careers, and identity.

Stacy’s goal is to provide a relaxed, comfortable space where clients can connect with their authentic selves and true nature. She is passionate about helping clients heal painful past events and move forward to build meaningful relationships with themselves, their bodies, and their loved ones.

Message to clients

As a holistic psychotherapist, I build relationships of care and trust to support and enrich your life. If you are interested in personal growth and deep healing, whether it is from discovering a diagnosis of some kind, childhood traumas, or phase-of-life problems, together we work to find meaning, purpose, skills, and deep healing. Along with the practice of loving-kindness and compassion which I integrate into my work, I also use the greatest tool, your body. Our body is a fascinating landscape filled with information, wisdom, and truth that offers liberation from suffering.

A message to young adults: I absolutely love working with young adults. It is such a difficult and yet fertile time within our lifespan. Difficult because there is little perspective and experience, we may feel lost and that we are drowning for example. Fertile because there is so much to work with! At this time we have our whole adulthood ahead of us, we are not usually locked in to our ways. We have an amazing opportunity to get to know ourselves deeply and secure a foundation to build a life of meaning and purpose designed specifically to the unique person that we are! This time can be dreadful or amazing! Or most likely, a bit of both!

Specialties

Holistic counseling - Healing through mind, body, and spirit

College & graduate student mental health - Specialized strategies for common issues of young adulthood, including school and career stressors, support around healthy relationships, existential concerns, drug or alcohol issues, eating disorders, and anxiety and/or depression

Mid-life existential, relationship, and career challenges - Navigating the challenges of mid-life

Artists' mental health - Understanding of highly creative minds; goal setting related to the artistic and creative process; support finding meaningful balance in one’s life

Career transitions and direction - Support around personal and professional growth; clarifying goals and steps to building a fulfilling career and meaningful work-life balance

Family issues - Moving from codependency to interdependency; emotional, physical, or substance abuse; not feeling respected, contemplating family of origin issues

Sexual identity - Questioning gender and sexuality; non-binary identification, transgender identification, queer identity, sexuality and power

Relationships - Feeling unsatisfied in your partnership; communication challenges; addressing issues of power and voice; contemplation of separation; questioning one’s place in the relationship; breakups, friendships, dating

Trauma - Coping and healing after threatening or scary events, such as witnessing accidents or experiencing sexual, verbal, emotional, or physical abuse

Feminist psychology - Feminist psychology listens to and privileges the voices and experiences of those who have been defined as "other" by dominant cultures; shifts the value of knowledge claims from those of culturally appointed experts to the expertise of the oppressed

Internal Family Systems (IFS) - Increasing self-awareness by exploring the different sub-personalities or “parts” of the mind and nurturing and deepening the connection to the self

ADHD - Skill-building and support around organizational challenges, distracted attention, procrastination; building and maintaining healthy routines and structure; specializing in ADHD treatment for women

Adjustment - Support around adapting to new and/or challenging life circumstances; skill-building for improved stress management and reduction of anxiety

Body image - Development of skills for handling negative thoughts about physical appearance; building habits of more positive self-talk and self-perception

Codependency - Development of healthy boundaries in relationships; strategies for increasing individual self-esteem and autonomy; coping mechanisms for separation and individuation

Communication - Developing effective interpersonal skills in relationships with partners, families, and co-workers; using healthy methods of communication to convey needs and respond to others

Transition to motherhood - Addressing issues specific to women during the postpartum period, including postpartum depression and anxiety

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder - Support developing and implementing strategies to cope with extreme emotional distress and mood shifts related to one’s menstrual cycle

Parenting - Helping parents develop and implement strategies to address challenges that arise throughout childrearing; managing stress and increasing support

General expertise

Treatment approaches

Clientele

Adults (24+)
Parents
Seniors (65+)

Teenagers (13-18)
Young adults (18-24)

Insurance

Stacy Cristo is not in-network with any insurances.

Read about the benefits of seeing an out-of-network provider here.

Out-of-pocket fees

Ongoing sessions: $150 (50min)
Sliding scale: $95 - $150

Therapist's note

Sliding scale: Please don't hesitate to contact me if you cannot afford my regular fees. Fees are determined by financial support and out-of-network benefits available to you. See Stacy's fee structure here.

Stacy can bill out-of-network benefits for any plan that offers out-of-network benefits

Location(s)

Providence practice

354 Broadway

Providence, RI 02909

Hours

Mon 8:30am-2:30pm

Tue 8:30am-2:30pm

Wed 8:30am-2:30pm

Thu 9:00am-3:00pm

Fri Closed

Sat Closed

Sun Closed

Work and Education

Private Practice, 2006-present

Angell Street Psychiatry

NRI Community Mental Health Outpatient

Lesley University, MA, Expressive Therapies, 2002

Washington University, BFA, Printmaking 1996

Languages

English

Therapy Groups

WAAG: A Women Artist's Accountability Group

This monthly group offers a supportive environment for women artists to support one another and encourage creativity.

Client testimonials

Artist, teacher

I was struggling with some very difficult family issues and also experiencing burn-out from work. I felt myself needing to shift my focus to my art and to having healthy boundaries but didn’t yet have the confidence to begin that process. Every time I leave an appointment with Stacy I feel fortified and more clear. The harsh, unforgiving thoughts quiet down. Stacy listens without judgement. She gracefully guides me at a pace that feels right. Sometimes there are thoughts and feelings that are too scary to deal with alone, but Stacy acts as a mirror, and reflects a strong and wise part of me that I had trouble seeing on my own.

Brown University student '16

Stacy completely transformed my relationship to food, myself, and my life. She not only helped me work through and overcome my eating disorder, but has helped me to feel empowered in my life and better understand the decisions I make. She is incredibly easy to talk to and helps me understand myself better through both talk therapy as well as body work such as yoga.

URI alum

I began seeing Stacy while I was in college. My anxiety and academic stress was at an all time high due to a recent change in majors. I continued to see her for difficulties I had with food, family, and past relationships. After seeing other therapists and never feeling like they were the “right fit” for me, I was very relieved once I began seeing Stacy. Stacy is amazing at helping you “feel” your emotions. She helped me see my life in a different light. I always left her office feeling like I was stepping into the right direction. One thing I enjoyed was that she often gave me ideas to work on between sessions. I always felt comfortable with her and I would recommend her to anyone.

Self-employed freelance artist

I was dealing with depression that I didn’t know I had and was very sad and withdrawn. A friend encouraged me to call Stacy, because she had just started to go to her. Stacy has been a god send for me. When I walked into her office just over 3 years ago, I didn’t know the extent to which I needed help. From the first visit, I knew I was in a safe place and she made me feel that way. She has opened up my mind and my heart to seeing myself and knowing my worth and realizing how to take care of me. It has been monumental in my growth and where I am at this very moment in my life. She has been encouraging and supportive, but always holding up a mirror to me, knowing what is best for me in a non-judgmental way, always positive. She saved me from myself. I will never be more grateful for any one person in my life.

Nonprofit administrator, yoga teacher, meditation facilitator

I was at a point of emotional and spiritual crisis. Stacy helped me look unpack the issues and get enough space to take a look at what was really happening. She is skilled at connecting the emotional and physical manifestations of what is going on.

Clinical social worker

I was struggling with debilitating depression primarily due to a long-term relationship ending, but also due to to past traumatic experiences, new relationship difficulties, and future-oriented where-am-i-going stress. I also was just beginning to understand how ill my body was due to all of this stress! Stacy is very compassionate, an empathic listener who will confront wisely. She is particularly skilled in body-oriented healing and used yoga and grounding exercises frequently. Lastly, her office is very comfortable - lots of natural lighting and colorful!

Professional middle aged women

I saw Stacy for anxiety and depression. I had left a job and was also facing many stressful family situations. Stacy uses the mind/body connection to help achieve a higher level of insight.

Middle aged person with a large variety of life experience

I went to see Stacy because I felt blocked and stuck in my life. With Stacy’s help I have been able to recover with a larger sense of freedom and sovereignty than I have known before. Stacy is professional at all times, and deeply committed to her clients’ healing. She holds one’s best interest in mind at all times and participates in, and initiates a process of deep healing both through her knowledge of reading and unlocking the voice of the body, as well as through attentive listening. She skillfully provides a safe environment, and encourages risk taking in gentle respectful ways. I really appreciated how she was able at all times to wrap up a session in such a way that I left feeling ready and well grounded to meet the world.

Previous client, organized, positive, friendly, and hardworking

I went to see Stacey because I felt unsettled in my self. I was not taking good care of myself physically or emotionally, and feeling out of control in my own life. More specifically, I was experiencing issues with co-dependency, boundaries, and loving myself in general. Stacey is the first professional I saw who was able to help me put a name to this ‘not right’ feeling. She knows when to talk and when to listen, when to push a little more when I glance over a topic, and when to let it go. But one of the things I love most about Stacey, is how versatile she is. She is ready for anything I need whether it is to cry it out, release negative energy, work out a conversation, or celebrate my accomplishments. She acknowledges my feelings, my experiences, and my needs.

Previous client, hardworking, extroverted introvert

I’ve been working with Stacy for a few years. My initial visits with her were due to a marriage ending, however, I have had depression for my entire life, and Stacy has helped me understand myself, and do so much healing. Stacy is both compassionate and caring while reminding me that the healing process is difficult and to take accountability for what I need to “own.”