Welcome to Better Help! You’ve taken a huge step, and you may feel nervous about trying online therapy. I believe you will soon discover online therapy is a wonderful tool to help you overcome difficulties in your daily life – all from the comfort of your home! My name is Cristal Jenkins, and I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Virginia. I earned my Master of Social Work degree from the University of Washington in 2012. I’ve worked in many different settings with individuals and families and have experience addressing a variety of personal issues, including depression, anxiety, family and parenting problems, trauma/abuse, stress, intimate relationships, vocational assistance, and addictions. In my experience within various therapy settings, one thing has been apparent: people are incredibly resilient and can grow through challenging experiences with the help of a genuinely caring person. I would love to be that caring person for you and offer support or a perspective to help you become more self-aware and overcome difficult challenges. I believe it’s very important to be open-minded and non-judgmental when someone shares their personal story or experiences with me and will always view my clients from a strengths perspective to help them feel empowered. You are welcome to message me anytime through Better Help. The frequency with which you can have access to a counselor to work through the day to day emotions and problem-solving is incredibly helpful and supportive, as opposed to traditional therapy where you only speak to your counselor once a week. I usually check messages twice each day, seven days per week. I offer messaging and live chat sessions only at this time. . Please note that what you see in my calendar may not reflect my only availability so you always want to check that out with me through messaging first. I look forward to working with you!