Psychologist, Teacher, Supervisor

“I came to Kristin Osborn suffering from a lifelong feeling of paralysis while giving presentations. As a result of my condition, I found myself negatively projecting on the audience to whom I was presenting despite the fact that I have more than 30 years of experience in my field and I am well respected by my colleagues. I have been a keynote speaker at several conferences and taught in several universities around the world. I always managed to get through the presentations and power through all of the things that terrified me about public speaking, yet the price of doing it has been horrendous. The anxiety that I feel during presentations has held me back, so I have avoided offering longer presentations and more interactive workshops that would exacerbate my anxiety.  I would often find myself sabotaging my own presentation by “clowning around” to the point of losing my center. This led to feelings of incompetence about my performance and many times I would get physically sick after a presentation. I am no stranger to psychotherapy and have enjoyed its benefits as a client for the past 30 years, but I needed help and so I took advantage of the opportunity to work with Kristin while at a conference in Boston.  I found Kristin to be clear and direct in my consultation with her and more importantly she has a gentle, engaging manner that helped me to feel very welcomed and able to quickly trust that we were going to do good work together. I felt safe to be open about my traumatic history and the psychological effects that have made me so anxious.  I was surprised how Kristin was able to support my mind, allowing it to move from a continuously overthinking and self-deprecating manner to a point where I was able to access my deepest emotions and challenge some surprising belief systems I developed as a child due to my traumatic history.  Following my work with Kristin, my presentations at conferences have been better than I could have expected. I am still very nervous but I am able to contain myself enough to show my very best, and for once I am impressed with myself.  I recently gave an interview on a national radio program, and although I was still quite nervous I did not suffer the panic attacks that used to be my norm. Shortly after that, I taught in a challenging group and the feedback I received from participants was that not only did I manage the challenges I faced, but participants received more than they expected from my presentation.  I cannot recommend Kristin enough, as she is encouraging and supporting, and her extensive knowledge of her field and wisdom is presented with grace.