For the last 30 years, I’ve has had the privilege of walking with people through difficult places in their lives. With an undergraduate degree in Communications, emphasizing organizational communication, my career began with The Salvation Army of Kankaee, IL, where I enjoyed managing emergency services and facilitating shelter for unhoused families. While there, I had the opportunity to initiate a shelter program for unhoused, supported and staffed by a collaboration of social service agencies in the area. In 1995 I returned to my hometown of  Nashville,TN and spent 8 years working for Y-CAP YMCA of Middle Tennessee, directing a program for girls impacted by the juvenile justice system. In the process of helping children and families begin addressing the patterns that kept them in crisis, I felt led to earn a Masters in Counseling and was Licensed as a Professional Counselor in 2002. 

Over the years, I’d had the privilege to counsel individuals, couples, children and adolescents with a wide variety of mental health concerns, relationship challenges, parenting difficulties and spiritual struggles. I’ve learned so much from the people who’ve shared their stories with me, and the desire to help them find fuller and deeper healing has motivated me time and again to expand my skills and pursue creatie solutions to how CrossRoads as an organization can create innovative, accessible solutions to the stagnate areas of mental wellness care. I have pursued additional training in sexual trauma, personality disorders, attachment throughout the lifespan and EMDR, with specialized training in attachment focused EMDR for children and caregivers. Following a decade of providing counseling support for missionaries around the world, I had the chance to work with a colleague to develop the Family Resilience Analysis, a protocol used to help missionary families identify strengths, vulnerabilities and ways to strengthen and protect their family bonds while serving cross-culturally. 

I joined CrossRoads Counseling Centers as a counselor in 2008 in what I thought would be a brief stint while my husband finished seminary. As is often the case, God had other, greater plans that were leading me to far more that I could have dreamed or imagined. In 2015, following the departure of their beloved leader, Doug Samsel, CrossRoads invited me to become their Executive Director. It has been a great honor to shepherd this organization that has been responsible for much personal and professional growth in my own life. I take great satisfaction in my work, and marvel at how well God knows me, cares for me, and has given me meaningful work that fits the way He has made me. 

As you can see, I love the work I get to do each day, but my greatest thrill has been sharing life with my husband, Mike, and nurturing our three lively daughters who are on the cusp of adulthood. This life has been a wonderful adventure!

I can be reached at christibrandenstein@stl-ccc.org