Christina Moak, MA, LPC

I’m Christina, but most people call me “Nina.” I am a licensed professional counselor and graduated with a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from University of Houston-Clear Lake. I enjoy working with people to help them reach their goals, and this profession allows me to do that.

My interests include working with moms struggling with work/life balance, parenting concerns and frustrations, and ever evolving family dynamics. This interest grew out of my work with children, and seeing each child brought to session by a parent juggling so much, and often needed a little support themselves. Further, I enjoy working with parents of young children fostering the parent-child bond, while developing skills to manage (and reduce) tantrums, aggression, and non-compliance which naturally appears during this age.

Additionally, I enjoy working with older adolescents and young adults managing life transitions during a time of continuous change. During this time, very little stays constant for long, and having a safe and consistent space to process all that change is often helpful. Therapy can be the place to process anxieties, establish new boundaries with your parents, and feel confident in your choices, while also learning skills such as managing new responsibilities, assertiveness, and general “adult things” no one taught you (like the difference between a copay and deductible).

Training & Treatment Modality

I completed my Master’s in Clinical Psychology in 2016 with the University of Houston-Clear Lake. During my program I gained experience seeing clients at the University’s Psychological Services Center and Texas Children’s Center for Children and Women. While practicing at those sites I worked with children (ages 3-13) struggling with behavioral problems and school performance, as well as adolescents and adults suffering from mood and anxiety disorders and life stressors. After completing my education I began working with clients with addiction at UTHealth Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction, and continue to work there.

When working with clients, I focus on a couple different treatment modalities, depending on the age and main concern of the client. For children, behavioral parent training is a therapy in which we (the parents, child, and myself) work together to teach the parents how to become their child’s therapist. As parents spend more time with their children than anyone else this is often very helpful. While working with adolescents and adults I typically work from a CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) stance in which we explore the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and how that influences your current state (depressed, anxious, etc.) and work to create new connections by examining and changing how we evaluate situations and react. Both behavioral parent training and CBT are evidenced-based (research shows they work), and can help you and/or your child feel more fulfilled with life and confident in your ability to manage what life throws at you.