About Chris

Christine (Chris) is a counseling intern pursuing licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia. She is a Master’s student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling at Concordia University Irvine. As an intern at Synergy Counseling LLC, she works under the direct supervision of Daniel Pyon, LPC (license #0701015623).

With more than three decades of diverse professional, educational, and personal experience, Chris brings a unique perspective to the counseling relationship. Before entering the counseling profession, she worked as a small-animal veterinarian and served for 10 years in the United States Air Force, during which she earned her Master of Public Health. She later stepped away from her professional career to homeschool her three children and earn a master’s degree in human nutrition. She has also taught Anatomy and Physiology at Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University.

Her experiences across veterinary medicine, public health, nutrition, education, military service, leadership, and family life have given her a deep appreciation for the many identities and transitions that shape a person’s journey. As a first-generation American, military veteran and spouse, healthcare professional, cancer survivor, and mother of three grown children, she understands that life rarely follows a simple or predictable path. These experiences inform her compassionate, person-centered, holistic approach to counseling and her desire to meet each client with curiosity, respect, and understanding.

Chris believes that a strong counseling relationship can foster insight, growth, and meaningful change. She strives to create a safe, welcoming, and nonjudgmental environment where clients can speak openly and feel genuinely heard. She views counseling as a collaborative process in which clients and counselors work together to understand concerns, identify strengths, clarify goals, and develop practical pathways toward greater well-being.

Chris works with individuals and couples experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, loss, health-related stress, identity questions, desires to change behaviors or lifestyle, career transitions, relationship challenges, body image issues, sexuality concerns, and other significant life transitions. She also provides premarital counseling, communication support, and parenting guidance.

Drawing from her own experience with cultural identity, military life, frequent moves, family transitions, and nontraditional career paths, Chris is particularly sensitive to the complexities of navigating change and redefining oneself along the way. Her practice is intentionally inclusive, and she welcomes clients of all races, ethnicities, faiths, genders, and sexual orientations. She is committed to honoring each client’s unique background, values, experiences, and worldview while walking alongside them toward greater self-understanding, connection, and positive change.

Chris offers both telehealth and in-person sessions. Therapeutic services are billed to in network insurance providers at a rate of $205 for an initial 60-minute intake session and $185 for each subsequent 55–60-minute sessions. While insurance coverage and reimbursement cannot be guaranteed, Chris accepts Aetna, Cigna, Virginia Anthem BCBS, CareFirst DC Capital region plans – including FEPBlue, and out-of-state BCBS plans. In-network claims are billed through her supervisor. For out-of-network reimbursement, she can provide a statement for you to submit to your insurer. For clients experiencing financial hardship, Chris participates in our Access Care Program which offers counseling at a reduced self-pay rate.

A free 20-minute consultation is available by calling 571-736-0476 or using the email button.