Kristy Sender is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist. Additionally, she holds a certification as a National Board Certified Counselor. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas where she majored in Psychology and Child Development and minored in English and Art History. She earned her Master of Education in Counseling from the University of North Texas where she studied at the world-renowned Center for Play Therapy. She has specialties in Play Therapy and School Counseling.
Kristy has worked with children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of roles, including educator, school counselor, high school crisis counselor, and mental health clinician. Kristy uses her professional and educational backgrounds to create tailored treatment plans to meet the needs of each client. Her experience in these varied roles allows her to see through multiple lenses and provide support from different perspectives. Kristy uses child-centered play therapy to serve younger children, ages 3 to 10. This developmentally appropriate therapeutic modality helps children process their world and experiences. For upper elementary children, middle and high school clients, Kristy draws upon an array of therapeutic modalities, including activity therapy, expressive arts therapy, group therapy, sand tray therapy, as well as traditional talk therapy.
Kristy is a firm believer that parental support, collaboration, and involvement is crucial to the therapeutic process. In parent consultations, she offers tools and strategies to help lessen family concerns and enhance the parent-child relationship. Parents’ emotional well-being is vital to a healthy family and a healthy parent-child relationship. Kristy also offers individual counseling services to adults to help navigate the stressors and challenges in their lives.