Dr. Christensen has worked as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice, nonprofit agencies, and schools since 1996 where she specializes with children, adolescents, and families. Dr. Christensen earned a BA in Psychology and Sociology from Adams State University in 1993, a Masters in Mental Health Counseling in 1996, and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Counseling in 1999 both from Idaho State University, a CACREP accredited program.  For the past 24 years, Dr. Christensen has served as a full-time professor and now serves as a contributing professor for a couple of online Universities. Dr. Christensen also provides professional trainings in play therapy throughout the US (eg. - Colorado, Idaho, Texas, Oregon, Illinois, Louisiana, Virginia, Tennessee, and Montana) and Internationally (Italy, Ireland, and Ecuador). In fact, Dr. Christensen is the director of a Play Therapy Institute that takes place in Tuscany, Italy every Spring and presents on play therapy at a Counseling Institute in Dublin, Ireland every Summer.  As a counselor and play therapist, Dr. Christensen operates from a few primary theoretical orientations including: Humanistic/Existential, Reality Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral, and Relational/Systems theoretical perspectives. She enjoys using many creative modalities in her work with clients including: play, art, sandtray, games, music, bibliotherapy, drama, and nature-based techniques and interventions. While the majority of Dr. Christensen’s clients are children, adolescents, and families affected by abuse/trauma, divorce, and anxiety/depression, she also enjoys working with adult clients and has extensive experience with a variety of diverse populations.    

​