Crystal Hanna, LMFT
I have lived in Wichita, KS for most of my life, and continue to reside here with my husband and three children. Throughout my youth and young adult years, I grew a curiosity for learning about different cultures and walks of life. This led me to travel internationally in order to amerce myself into those cultures by living among the people in order to deepen my understanding and experience, rather then only reading about them. My formal schooling years began with attending a college in Australia which focused on music and leadership skills. I also attended Wichita State University as an adult student, and received my B.A. with a major in Interpersonal Communication and minor in Cultural Anthropology. My goal was to create a degree for communication across cultures since they did not offer it directly. While attending WSU, I additionally studied at a sister-school in Italy for a semester. Along with the classroom studies, I was able to participate in various anthropological trips which further broadened my experience. My scope and desire to create connection across cultures and backgrounds continues in my therapy practice today.
My early career was in childcare for many years. I also volunteered in many other various capacities. Some of the opportunities my husband and I had early on, included serving as live-in “house parents” at a local ministry for young single-mothers; providing a safe home for them to heal, teaching life skills, supporting them as they moved back into the world independently. We helped to provide community-based services for at-risk youth, offering a safe place after school. We were property managers at a residence for those living with AIDS/HIV, in an effort to create a community that supported a more positive mental health experience as they journeyed through their illness.
As my own life and experiences have continued, over the last handful of years I have realized how lonely the role of motherhood can be, based from my own experience as well as many others I have communicated with. With this in mind, I now enjoy creating intentional nights for mothers to be able to connect and share the much needed support from one another.
A big part of my personal story has been working through the pain of many years of infertility issues. I found myself working with multiple doctors, yet I had no answers as to why I was not getting pregnant. I found Prairie Health and Wellness, and worked with a doctor who recommended I begin therapy in order to work with body-based practices. I found an amazing therapist who helped me heal and find “home” in my own body. It was through my own infertility struggles that I processed such a deep and restorative work; I learned that these vulnerable places can be opportunities to find ourselves. It was through the mind/body connection, along with IFS therapy, that I began to find self. My passion for body-based practices such as Somatic Experiencing and Attachment work is rooted from my own journey.
Though I had never had the thought of becoming a therapist myself, my own therapist encouraged me to consider it and look into the program at Friends University. I did in fact enroll, graduating in 2022 with a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. As a therapist, I come from an understanding derived from many years of working through my own self-work and belief that each person has all they need to heal within themselves, rather than positioning myself as the "expert" in the room. I strive to offer the human connection within all that I communicate, creating a laid-back atmosphere in hopes to offer a safe haven to land in while wrestling through life's journey and the challenges faced.
I use a trauma-informed scope, and use Somatic practices in order to heal the trauma that's stored in the body. I focus on creating a safe place to learn to reprogram the nervous system. Some of my therapy experience includes: working with those affected by a family member with a personality disorder, complex trauma, codependency, infertility, parenting life cycles, marriage, single parenting, adjustment to new seasons of life, addiction, and those affected by religious trauma. Therapies I use most are Internal Family Systems, Attachment-based therapy, Narrative therapy, Mindfulness practices, Psychoanalytic therapies, and brain-based therapies. I believe we have the access and power to rewire our brains, creating new neural networks. I believe in the power of a safe place to integrate resources such as Ketamine-assisted therapy to access areas where talk therapy cannot.
I love the vision at Guide MindBody Therapy and feel incredibly thankful to be working with such an amazing and knowledgeable team of therapists.
