Christopher 'Chris' Gunst, LMFT
Practical, relational therapy for real-life struggles
About Christopher
Christopher 'Chris' Gunst is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 15 years of clinical experience in California. He focuses on practical help for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression, or addiction.
Background and approach
Chris aims to listen carefully and respond with sensitivity and respect. He works with people who are struggling with relationship and family concerns, including communication problems and attachment wounds.
He also addresses issues like abandonment, guilt and shame, isolation, and young adult challenges. Sessions focus on clear steps clients can try between meetings.
Chris approaches therapy as a partnership. He helps clients set realistic goals and builds a plan that fits their situation.
He values the therapist-client relationship and makes understanding each person a priority. His style is straightforward and compassionate.
Conversations are meant to help clients notice patterns, practice new ways of relating, and manage mood and addictive behaviors. Chris emphasizes tools that can be used right away to reduce distress and improve connection.
For people ready to begin, he supports a steady, step-by-step process. He encourages small changes that add up to lasting improvements in daily life.
The focus is on practical progress and on building stronger, kinder relationships with yourself and others.
Approaches that guide online sessions and practical benefits
Chris uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques focused on relationships and mood. One common approach is working on attachment and relational patterns by identifying how early relationships shape current behavior; this helps with communication problems and feelings of abandonment. Another approach targets mood and anxiety by teaching concrete coping skills, like breathing exercises, behavioral activation, and step-by-step plans to manage cravings or low mood.Finding the right approach is a shared process between client and therapist. Chris will talk with clients about goals, try methods that match those aims, and adjust as progress and preferences become clear. That collaborative work helps decide which techniques fit best for each person.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions are useful for a full conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can fit a short break or when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and text messaging work well for quick check-ins, brief coaching, or tracking homework between meetings. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent and to use tools in day-to-day life.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also works with
- Experience
- 15 years
- Licensed
- California
- Languages
- English