Bio

Kris La Fave Smith is a California Licensed Marriage & Family Psychotherapist with a private practice, Mother Warrior Counseling, located in San Juan Capistrano. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from Sacramento State University and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology. In her clinical private practice, she specializes in maternal mental health, perinatal mood & anxiety disorders, depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, and life transitions for moms and uses an eclectic treatment approach that is individually tailored to meet the needs of her clients.


Kris has worked in the mental health field for more than twenty years. She started her career working in residential care for at-risk youth, and progressed through the years to create and direct the clinical programs for outpatient and court mandated facilities available to those struggling with chronic and persistent mental health problems, homelessness, and criminal offenses. For the last fourteen years, Kris has also focused her attention on raising two children. Surviving a traumatic birth, experiencing postpartum depression, and postpartum anxiety, learning how to be a mother, and connecting with her mom tribe has been her driving force behind the work she currently does. Today, Kris is known for her dedication to Putting Moms First and is an advocate for maternal mental health. She believes in breaking down the stigma and shame of perinatal mood & anxiety disorders and acknowledging the warrior in all moms.

Lived experiences

Survivor of Perinatal Mood & Anxiety

Specialties

Anxiety

Perinatal Anxiety

Depression

Perinatal Depression

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum Psychosis

Perinatal Loss

Birth trauma / PTSD

OCD

Single Parents

Trauma or abuse

Location

31815 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

Hours of operation

Monday - Friday by appointment

Treatment methods

Talk therapy / cognitive behavioral

Consults

Phone / Virtual / Remote

Office

Child friendly space

Yes

Additional information

I offer in-home, online, in-office, and walk & talk appointment options to choose from.