Therapist in Manchester, New Hampshire Crystal DaCosta, Therapist

Crystal DaCosta is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in New Hampshire who has been practicing since 2019. She has a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Thomas College and an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Crystal has been immersed in the addiction recovery field since 2017, commencing her journey as a resident instructor. It was during this time that she began to realize her aspiration to evolve into a counselor. In 2019, an opportunity arose for Crystal to step into a counselor position, focusing on conducting assessments for substance use disorder within a stabilization unit of a residential program, coinciding with her enrollment in a Master’s program. As she delved deeper into her role, Crystal found herself drawn to acquiring a comprehensive understanding of clinical skills across various units, catering to both men and women in need. Her fascination with different methods of providing support to clients struggling with substance use disorder led her to undertake CCAR training in motivational interviewing, which soon became one of her primary interventions. Parallel to her professional endeavors, Crystal’s personal exploration led her to yoga, eventually leading her to discover the transformative practice of yoga nidra meditation during a restorative yoga class. This newfound interest sparked her journey into mindfulness, prompting her to pursue level I and level II restorative yoga and yoga nidra training through Yoganh.com, culminating in her certification to facilitate yoga nidra sessions. Over the past two years, Crystal has integrated yoga nidra meditations into her work, conducting sessions both in group counseling settings and upon individual client requests. Furthermore, her internship beginning in December 2020 exposed her to working with children, where she began incorporating play therapy techniques and exploring art therapy activities suitable for individuals of varying ages. Throughout her tenure as a counselor, Crystal has adeptly utilized cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills in talk-therapy sessions, addressing a spectrum of concerns including trauma, substance misuse, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. Grounded in a commitment to provide a safe, non-judgmental space, Crystal endeavors to foster strong rapport with her clients, facilitating a seamless continuation of sessions and employing a gentle approach even when employing reality therapy techniques to address behavior dynamics. Outside of work, Crystal enjoys going for walks with her golden retriever, Arwen. Just like her dog, she loves the water. They have done dock diving together as a hobby to share with each other. They enjoy going kayaking and Arwen will swim next to her kayak and sometimes jump back into the kayak for more adventuring. She has found her own mindfulness-based practice when she started yoga. For the past couple of years, she and her husband have been to ballroom dancing classes on a bi-weekly basis and enjoy laughing and dancing with the instructors.