Red Desert Wellness, Kristin Alvey, LCSW

About Me-

I’ve been in the mental health field since 1994 and take a holistic relational approach considering all aspects of the individual-including your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual needs as well as environmental influences, life experiences, strengths and values. I view us all through a lens of compassionate understanding that considers how deeply we are affected by the woundedness of other humans and the damage caused by dysfunctional societal systems and constructs versus the medical model which typically pathologizes the individual.

Over the last four years, I've deepened my work with my clients to include more alternative elements of healing including sound healing, SoulCollage™, grief processing using bilateral stimulation, ego state work, and more recently psychedelic therapy, including Ketamine Assisted EMDR and integration processing of psychedelic experiences.

I work well with clients who want to heal and transmute their trauma into more wholeness and connection with their authentic Self. Often times, the crises we experience in life, whether it is the death of a loved one, the loss of identity, divorce, or a significantly disorienting life experience, while painful and frightening, can also be the impetus to bringing us closer and more deeply connected to the wholeness of who we really are underneath the layers of roles, identities and protection that we have built up over the years.

Helping adults heal and find connection with Self and others

I help adults and children heal from trauma and the lasting impact of adverse and challenging life experiences. My background in childhood trauma, child developmental, and attachment gives me a deep understanding of how early life shapes the way we think, feel, and relate to others today. Together, we’ll explore these roots so you can gain insight, heal, and begin creating healthier ways of seeing yourself and moving through the world.

I’m EMDR-certified and use a variety of evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches tailored to your needs. I especially enjoy working with adults in midlife who are searching for meaning or a renewed sense of purpose as they look ahead. Many people find that the coping skills and beliefs that once helped them survive no longer feel supportive and may actually be sabotaging your efforts to live a healthier life. In our work together, we’ll identify these patterns and help you develop a deeper understanding of the origins of these patterns so you can develop patterns that feel more aligned with your current values and that foster growth, resilience, and peace.

I am happy to set up a free 20 minute consultation via phone or video so we can meet and determine if you feel we will be a "good fit" before committing to working together.

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Soul Compass Psychospiritual Therapy and Trauma Healing

Transition and Life Changes

What does it really mean to be a grown up in today’s world?

We assume that once we “get it together” with the right job, marry the right person, have children, and buy a home, all is settled and well. But adulthood presents varying levels of growth, and is rarely the respite of stability we expected. Turbulent emotional shifts can take place anywhere between the age of thirty-five and seventy when we question the choices we’ve made, realize our limitations, and feel stuck—commonly known as the “midlife crisis.” Jungian psycho-analyst James Hollis believes it is only in the second half of life that we can truly come to know who we are and thus create a life that has meaning.

Supporting adults with typical life transitions such as retirement, menopause, and navigating caring for elderly parents while still parenting, as well as significant life events, and unexpected circumstances has become an area of my work that has naturally developed over the last 4-5 years. I truly believe that some of the most challenging experiences we face in our lives can serve to help us grow and connect with our authentic Self.

I’ve grown to really love helping people work towards connection with their true and aligned selves. This process requires some “deconstruction” of old prescribed ways of functioning, or roles that have been imposed upon us since childhood. In the second half of our lives, the best way we can honor ourselves and those we love is by discovering our authentic selves hiding beneath the layers of self protection, ego adaptations and assumed roles. This work is not for the faint of heart but the pay off is worth it.