Kristen Frosio, Ph.D. (she/her)
“I understand the brain, I understand behavior, I understand neurochemical changes. But the way to understand a person, a human being, is their life experiences; how they grew up, where they come from, what’s important to them, what they’ve learned. Your life is important. Your life and your experiences are what matter. That’s how you understand.” –Kristen Frosio, PhD
Dr. Frosio is a dedicated, proactive, and enthusiastic psychologist passionate about providing evidence-based, integrated, and flexible psychological services to adults with enduring and complex mental health conditions. Dr. Frosio is committed to collaboration, transparency, and understanding the whole person she works with. She is experienced in assessment (standardized assessment, clinical interviews, and risk assessment), formulation, and treatment of adults with complex mental health needs. Her clinical training focused on cognitive behavioral interventions, which allow an integration of different therapeutic modalities and draw on an extensive evidence-base. However, as a Native American woman reclaiming her language and traditions, she consciously exercises valuation of both Western and traditional approaches to mental wellness; meaning she is dedicated to incorporating other ways of knowing into her clinical praxis.
Dr. Frosio spent 5 years trying to figure out how to “do college” at her local junior college. As a first-generation college student, her parents never pressed her to go to college. Work was most important. As soon as she could get a worker’s permit, she was working. She met a professor that helped her figure out how to transfer to a university. She received her B.A. in psychology from San Diego State University. She went back to where her people originated in Oklahoma to attend Oklahoma State University for her M.S. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Dr. Frosio completed her externship in Trauma and Deployment Recovery Services at the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs (VA). She completed her pre-doctoral internship in Acute Crisis Intervention at the Jesse Brown VA in Chicago, IL. Finally, Dr. Frosio completed a post-doctoral residency at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center with a focus in serious mental illness. She is the first family member to earn a Ph.D.
For fun, Dr. Frosio enjoys spending time with family, watching “trash TV”, and researching ways to improve equity in healthcare for people who have been marginalized.