Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina “Krissy” Barry.
Hi Kristina “Krissy”, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been a scientific-minded person, and early in my career I approached therapy through a very evidence-based lens—structured, grounded, and focused on what we can observe and measure. But over time, I started to feel like something was missing.
That curiosity led me deeper into the mind-body connection and somatic approaches, which absolutely made me a stronger clinician and expanded how I understand mental health and healing. And still, there was another layer I couldn’t ignore.
After years of working in addiction recovery, I kept coming back to the truth that recovery—and healing in general—is most effective when we approach it through a bio-psycho-social-spiritual model: addressing physical health, emotional health, relationships and support systems, and the deeper questions of meaning, purpose, and connection. I understood the language of “Higher Power,” spirituality, and the 12 Steps, but I also realized I needed to explore what spirituality meant to me before I could support clients in unpacking it for themselves in an authentic, grounded way.
Fast forward to now: this month I opened my own private practice, Elemental Health, a spiritually-integrative therapy practice where science and soul are both welcome at the table. I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPCS), and Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC), with advanced training in trauma-informed care, EMDR, and somatic approaches. I love creating a space that’s both clinically solid and deeply personal.
I also have a sister business, Mind Music Tarot, where I offer intuitive tarot readings and soulful experiences designed to help people slow down, tune in, and reconnect with themselves. My sessions are supportive, practical, and deeply reflective—especially helpful during seasons of transition, uncertainty, burnout, or when someone feels ready for change but unsure what comes next. In addition to one-on-one readings, I create group experiences and workshops that weave together symbolism, nervous system regulation, and meaning-making, often incorporating music, guided grounding practices, and ritual elements that help people feel more connected in their bodies, not just in their thoughts. I also curate a small collection of metaphysical tools—like tarot and oracle decks, crystals, candles, cleansing tools, and other intentionally chosen offerings—to support everyday self-care and personal ritual.
I’m based at Storehouse Nine at the Navy Yard in North Charleston, where both Elemental Health and Mind Music Tarot live side-by-side as part of a bigger vision: a healing space that feels grounded, creative, and radically real. My work is for people who are outwardly “holding it together,” but inwardly longing for something deeper—more alignment, more meaning, more breath in their bodies, and more truth in their lives.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a perfectly smooth road—and honestly, I don’t think the meaningful paths ever are.
To be completely honest, the current cultural and political climate has not made it easy to build a practice that openly makes room for spiritually-integrative, whole-person care. There can be a lot of misunderstanding about what that actually means, so I’ve had to be clear and intentional in how I communicate it. I’m not here to tell anyone what to believe. My goal is to provide a safe, grounded space where clients can explore their own spirituality in a way that feels authentic to them—or not explore it at all. For me, spirituality is simply connection to something bigger than yourself, and that can be divine or not. It might involve religion, nature, recovery, values, community, or meaning-making—and it can also include no spiritual beliefs whatsoever. All of that is welcome.
I wholeheartedly believe to be a good therapist, you have to be a social justice advocate. Mental health doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and our clients are impacted by structural and systemic issues that affect safety, access, identity, stress, and well-being. Ignoring that reality does people a disservice and I believe contributes to the problem. Treating the whole person means acknowledging the world they’re living in—not just their symptoms.
And like many helping professionals, I’ve also had to learn how to do this work sustainably. Supporting people through trauma, recovery, and major life transitions is meaningful and sacred, but it requires strong boundaries as well as ongoing self-reflection and self-care. Building my own private practice has also come with a steep learning curve and plenty of behind-the-scenes risk and uncertainty, but it’s been worth it to create a space that truly reflects my values.
Ultimately, the challenges have clarified my purpose. They’ve helped me build a practice rooted in integrity, inclusivity, and whole-person healing where people can feel safe enough to tell the truth and supported enough to grow.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Elemental Health and Mind Music Tarot are two sister businesses living under one roof at Storehouse Nine in North Charleston—and together, they reflect the space I’ve always wanted to create: a grounded, welcoming studio where people can slow down, reconnect, and do real healing work without having to perform wellness or have it all figured out.
Elemental Health is my private psychotherapy practice, offering evidence-based, trauma-informed therapy for adults and couples across South Carolina (in-person and telehealth). I specialize in nervous system regulation, anxiety and chronic stress, life transitions, relationship and attachment work, identity exploration, and healing from trauma and complex trauma. I also have a strong focus on recovery from narcissistic abuse and recovery maintenance from addiction, supporting clients in rebuilding self-trust, boundaries, safety, and stability after long periods of emotional harm or survival-mode living.
My work is rooted in research-supported approaches, including EMDR and Somatic Experiencing, and I practice from a whole-person perspective that also makes room for ethically grounded, spiritually-integrative exploration when it’s meaningful to the client—always client-led and anchored in safety, consent, and respect. I’m also committed to culturally humble, LGBTQ+ affirming care, and I practice from a social justice lens because I believe mental health is deeply shaped by the world we live in.
Mind Music Tarot is the sister side of the studio—a different doorway into healing through symbolism, reflection, and meaning-making. I offer one-on-one intuitive tarot readings designed to help people find clarity, direction, and self-trust during times of uncertainty or transition. I also host group experiences and workshops that weave together tarot, grounding practices, music, ritual, and nervous-system-friendly reflection. In the studio, you’ll also find a curated collection of retail offerings like tarot and oracle decks, crystals, candles, cleansing tools, and other intentionally chosen items that support everyday ritual and self-care.
What makes this space a hidden gem is that it’s not one-size-fits-all wellness, and it’s not performative. It’s a place where people can show up as they are—overwhelmed, curious, grieving, growing, or starting over—and feel safe enough to exhale. I’ve built something that feels both clinically solid and deeply personal, where people can show up as their whole selves—mind, body, and spirit—without judgment, and where spirituality is defined broadly as connection to something bigger than yourself—divine or not.
More than anything, I want readers to know that this is a space for the people who are outwardly “holding it together,” but inwardly longing for something deeper: more meaning, more alignment, more breath in their bodies, and a life that feels like their own.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that intuition is the doorway to healing. When people reconnect with their inner knowing—emotionally, physically, spiritually—they stop outsourcing their truth. That’s when real change becomes possible.
Pricing:
- $160/60 min. individual therapy sessions
- $210/75 min. couples’ therapy sessions
- $75/30 min. intuitive tarot reading
- starting at $210 group intuitive tarot reading
Contact Info:
- Website: elementalhealththerapy.com and mindmusictarot.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindmusictarot and https://www.instagram.com/elementalhealththerapy
