- 20 years experience
- Focus on life transitions
- College selection coaching
About Kristi
Dr. Kristi Hottenstein is a licensed professional counselor who has practiced in Michigan since 2009. She holds a doctorate in higher education administration and a master’s degree in counseling, and she runs Compass Counseling & Coaching, PLLC. Her work aims to help people facing change, stress, or difficult life moments. She approaches each person as an individual with unique needs.
Dr. Hottenstein blends several counseling methods to match what a person needs. She focuses on building self-awareness and helping clients accept responsibility for steps they can take. Sessions often include practical tools for handling anxiety, depression, relationship strain, grief, and life transitions. She also offers coaching around college selection alongside therapeutic work.
Her style is collaborative and straightforward. She listens, reflects, and offers techniques people can use between meetings. The goal is to make progress that fits real life, not just talk in session.
She brings two decades of experience and a background in higher education to her practice. That perspective is useful for people facing career decisions, school choices, or role changes in life. Her work includes attention to issues such as adoption and foster care when they are part of a person’s story.
People who prefer an individualized plan tend to respond well to her approach. She mixes evidence-based strategies with a person-centered outlook. That combination aims to help people manage symptoms and move toward valued goals.
How therapy approaches guide online work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people clarify what matters to them and take small steps toward those values. It mixes acceptance of difficult feelings with practical actions to reduce avoidance and move forward. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and changing behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety or low mood. It often includes homework and simple experiments to test new ways of coping.Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, needs, and preferences. Together they decide which methods to try and adjust the plan as progress happens. That collaborative process helps tailor sessions around what feels useful.
Confirm the current session options before booking so you know how meetings are arranged. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, allow for shorter check-ins, and remove travel time. It can also offer quiet, uninterrupted time for focused work and make scheduling around school or work simpler. Ask about available formats when you start the matching process.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
20+ years
Credentials
Michigan, Texas, Arizona, California, New Jersey, Virginia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What concerns can be addressed in therapy?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, addictions, ADHD, and many life changes. Adoption and foster care appear as an additional focus when relevant to a person’s situation.
How would you describe the therapy style?
The approach is collaborative and practical. Sessions emphasize self-awareness, concrete skills, and actions a person can try between meetings.
What is her professional background?
She has practiced as a licensed professional counselor since 2009 and has 20 years of experience. Her background also includes a doctorate in higher education administration and work as a practice owner.
What credentials and location are listed?
Credentials shown are LPC and LPCC with practice in Michigan. The profile notes experience in counseling and coaching roles in that state.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Are international clients accepted?
International clients are not currently accepted.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with this therapist?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.