Christine Penguino , LCSW, CSW

Christine Penguino is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Atlanta, Georgia, with seven years of clinical experience supporting clients across the lifespan, from play therapy with young children to grief work with older adults. She holds LCSW and CSW credentials (LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker) and applies a client-directed, goal-focused approach that helps people identify where they want to go and build practical steps to get there.

Her recent clinical focus has included working with families in the LGBTQIA+ community through a range of challenges related to identity, relationships, and family dynamics. Christine routinely supports people navigating anxiety, depression, stress, ADHD, parenting concerns, self-esteem and body positivity, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, grief, and career transitions. She also brings experience with abandonment, adoption and foster care, attachment issues, autism spectrum differences, kink and BDSM lifestyles, caregiver stress, fertility matters, gender dysphoria, hoarding, isolation and loneliness, jealousy, life purpose, and midlife shifts.

Christine blends evidence-informed methods such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Client-Centered Therapy to tailor work to each person's needs. Her style is gently directive - she encourages clients to push at the edges of comfort in manageable ways, designing personalized between-session practice to help measure progress and translate insights into everyday change. She frames setbacks as information about readiness or obstacles rather than failures, emphasizing learning over grading.

Outside of clinical work Christine leans into curiosity and creativity. She identifies as a big nerd who enjoys science fiction and fantasy, citing a particular fondness for Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and enjoying conversations about adaptations. She attends regional Burning Man events, makes art from thrift-store Barbies, gardens despite not being very good at it, and keeps a tank of guppies and ghost shrimp that she finds calming. She also enjoys board games, puzzles, conventions, and a playful approach to holidays through memes and silliness.

Christine is affirming of diverse relationship styles and sexual expression, including kinky or BDSM lifestyles and ethically non-monogamous arrangements such as polyamory. She has helped many people process cultural and religious shifts, including transitions out of conservative backgrounds, and routinely supports neurodivergent clients with autism spectrum or ADHD diagnoses. Her practice centers practical goals, collaboration, and a respectful, curiosity-driven therapeutic process.

Could Remote Therapy Be a Good Fit?

Many people wonder whether remote therapy can genuinely help. For common concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, or managing life transitions, online therapy has been shown to be just as effective as traditional in-person sessions.

One major benefit is flexibility. Individuals can connect with licensed professionals in the format that works best for them - video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or in-app messaging - making it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules or to access support from different locations.

Therapists who provide online services are licensed professionals, and clients often have the option to change therapists if they need a different fit. For many people, remote therapy offers a practical, accessible way to begin or continue therapeutic work without sacrificing professional standards of care.