Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristine Boehmer.
Kristine, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was incredibly close with my grandmother as a child. I would spend every morning with her before school and every afternoon with her after school, watching her soap operas, going for walks, picking paw paws, and painting with her. When I was in middle school, she died after a long illness and I was left with grief I didn’t know how to handle. I spent the next ten years trying to figure out what to do with those feelings. I saw a couple different therapists, but options were limited and they didn’t seem to understand. Not long after, I took a high school psychology class and was drawn to it. It was an easy decision from there to aspire to become a therapist that really could be there for kids and teens who were struggling.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
After I completed graduate school, I was offered a position working for a nonprofit community mental health clinic, which was an amazing experience. I had the privilege of working with many children, families and adults who taught me as much as I helped them. One of the most critical things I learned was the importance of a work-home life. I transitioned into a private practice closer to home after several years so I could spend more time with my growing family. Over time, I started to create my own ideas and dreams of what a practice would look like–more space for sliding scale or pro bono clients, running groups for middle schoolers, flexibility in the schedule to adapt to clients’ needs. After my second child was born, I took the leap and started my own practice so that I could better balance being a mom and a therapist. Not long after, COVID hit. Covid changed so many things for so many people. For me, it meant completely reevaluating what my children needed. I changed directions for my business, moving into nature-informed therapy and leading outdoor groups. At home, it meant homeschooling my kids and establishing a nature based, neurodivergent-affirming co op so we could connect with other families. The ever changing needs of myself, my family, my clients and the world ensure that my goals and practice are ever evolving to meet those needs.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My time is divided between a few different spaces, all of them interconnected in some way.
The longest running of these spaces is my private practice, Bright Horizons Family Counseling. I do individual therapy with kids and teens, as well as family therapy to help support the entire family system. My passion lies with those coping with anxiety, trauma, OCD, PANS/PANDAS, and the stress of being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world. Sessions are available in person, virtually, and outdoors. All year, clients have the option of meeting outside or walking during sessions at a nearby park. During spring, summer and fall, I offer sessions at a nearby horse rescue, where clients can work on their mental health alongside horses who are recovering from physical and mental trauma.
Once we began homeschooling, I noticed there just weren’t any homeschool groups (or “co ops”) that fit our family values and needs so I decided to create that space. With the help of other like-minded homeschool families, I established a nature based, child-led, neurodivergent affirming co operative that focuses on social connections in the outdoors. We’re quite a few years in, and have an amazing community now.
From the work and experiences I’ve had, I kicked off a consulting business to offer coaching and guidance to other families who find themselves where I was. I offer consulting on how to start and run a homeschool co op, how to maintain balance while homeschooling, and coaching for parents of kids who are finding their way through mental health struggles. This is the newest evolution of meeting needs, and I’m excited to see where it goes.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up in a pretty rural area so I spent a lot of my childhood immersed in my imagination, a book, or the woods where we lived. Spending time playing in the yard, riding my bike, or traipsing through the woods and creek were a part of daily life. I loved reading and would sneak my books inside of text books so I wouldn’t’ have to stop just because I was at school. I adored animals and dreamed of a day I could have an entire zoo of creatures I loved (I still don’t have a whole zoo, but we do have 3 gerbils, 2 cats and a corn snake). I was generally quieter, and had a few close friends that I found that I enjoyed helping.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brighthorizonsfc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krissi.boehmer/
