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Carissa Alt-Frankard
FOUNDER of BE YOUR BETTER SELF, LLC | LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR
Carissa’s love for working with and helping others began in high school. She knew early through personal experience that she would choose a path in psychology to help individuals experiencing mental health difficulties and challenges.
Carissa pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at UW- Milwaukee. While attending school there, she worked as a Line Therapist for the Wisconsin Early Autism Project, Inc. and became very passionate about working with families and kids, so much so that she worked there for most of her undergraduate years and even a gap year between undergraduate and graduate school. Carissa then moved to Boston to attend Boston College for her Masters in Mental Health Counseling. There she had an internship running social skills groups and doing consult work for the local schools.
Post-graduation, Carissa moved back to Wisconsin where she has been working in the mental health field in various capacities, including as a Senior Therapist at the Wisconsin Early Autism Project, Inc., a case manager for the chronically homeless population of Washington County at the Youth and Family Project, Inc., and as a psychotherapist at Affiliated Clinical Services, Inc.
Initially Carissa primarily used more traditional treatment methods, specifically cognitive behavioral and behavioral treatment approaches. After having her two sons, she started shifting her personal practice and focus to the idea and notion that health comes from within and incorporates both the mind and body together. With this shift, she has grown to enjoy bringing more holistic treatment methods into her work, such as using mindfulness techniques, meditation, yoga/exercise, essential oils, and nutrition.
Carissa developed Be Your Better Self, LLC after using the phrase Be Your Better Self as a personal mantra for growth in her own life. She’s excited to share this same spirit with you to help you grow in the ways you want and/or need in your own life.
Carissa had been searching for a place that combined the use of traditional and holistic treatment modalities. She’s excited to be offering this as an extension of the Be. community. Carissa enjoys working with kids and families and has recently taken a special interest working with women who are in a transitional phase of their life, whether that be the growing pains of young adulthood, motherhood, or any other transition they may be going through.
In her free time, Carissa enjoys going on walks with her sons, being outside, listening to podcasts for self-development, exercising, pampering herself through various self-care modalities, and watching mindless things on TV.