Kristin Knight
Kristin spent over 27 years in public education before joining Amistad, where she has provided clinical therapy since April of 2020. She taught 7th grade English Language Arts for 7 years and was a school counselor at the middle school level for 20 years, as well as a Student Council Advisor. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Bachelor of Science in Education, as well as her Master's degree in Counseling and Psychology at New Mexico State University. She became a National Board Certified Teacher in 1993 and renewed the rigorous certification 3 times. She was selected as the Middle School Advisor of the Year for the State of New Mexico by the New Mexico Association of Student Councils in February of 2020. She is trained in the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Circle of Security, and Emotional Triggers Treatment. She has a passion for supporting the homeless and does extensive fundraising for Community of Hope here in Las Cruces.
Kristin is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who works with adults and couples, as well as teens. Kristin's therapy style is creative, straightforward and honest, yet supportive and caring. She makes therapy comfortable and perhaps even fun, despite it being an uncomfortable activity that most people don't look forward to. She asks questions that encourage clients to honestly think and evaluate themselves in a safe space. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients reflect on their thoughts and determine how their thinking colors their world. Having been a teacher, she is able to help clients have that "aha!" moment that allows them to better understand their relationships and their place in the world in a different, more effective way. Her clients expect to have homework!
She has been married to her husband for over 26 years, and therefore understands the joys and challenges of marriage. She is a mother to two teenagers (who find having a mom who is a therapist rather annoying) and knows the stress of taking care of a family while maintaining a career. Because Kristin's mother is a minister, she is comfortable talking about prayer, religion, the Bible and all of the struggles that go with exploring one's faith. She relates to dysfunctional families, blended families, families living overseas and crazy families because she is in one! Her experience in the classroom, the therapy office and in life give her extensive knowledge and understanding of life's challenges. Having spent so many years in the middle school setting (and actually liked it!), the most awkward, painful time in most people's lives, there is nothing she hasn't seen, heard or conquered.
