Meet your support team

Kyle M. Reid

LMFT, CSAT-S, CPTT

Clinical Director · Murray and Orem

Kyle M. Reid, LMFT, CSAT-S, CPTT, is the Clinical Director of Connections Counseling Services, of which the Becoming Institute for Sexual Health is a division. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from Alliant International University. Since joining Connections in 2012, Kyle has worked with individuals experiencing unwanted sexual behavior, partners affected by betrayal, and couples navigating the impact on their relationships. He developed the Becoming Approach to help people address what is hurting them and build healthier sexual lives and relationships.

Specialties

• Sex addiction recovery
• Betrayal trauma
• Couples healing after betrayal
• Clinical supervision

Training and approaches

• CSAT methodology
• CPTT training
• Emotionally Focused Therapy
• Brainspotting
• Attachment-based therapy

Jennifer Atkinson

LMFT, CPTT

Therapist · Orem

Jennifer's work centers on the betrayed partner. As a Certified Partner Trauma Therapist, she helps partners find steadier ground after sexual betrayal, make sense of what happened, and decide what they need next. When a couple is preparing for a full disclosure, she works alongside the CSAT therapist so the partner has their own dedicated support through it.

Her approach rests on attachment: secure, honest relationships matter deeply to well-being. She is collaborative and nonjudgmental, and she pays close attention to the emotions and beliefs that betrayal can unsettle. Her work also includes betrayal trauma group therapy.

Jennifer is trained in EMDR and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, which she draws on with partners working through trauma and with couples rebuilding connection. She holds a master's in Marriage and Family Therapy from National University and a bachelor's in Human Development from Brigham Young University.

Specialties

• Betrayal trauma
• Support through full disclosure
• Trauma and PTSD
• Couples therapy

Training and approaches

• CPTT training
• EMDR
• Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Tegan Binford

ACMHC

Therapist · Murray

Tegan works with individuals, couples, and families affected by sex addiction and betrayal, and she has been mentored in this work by Certified Sex Addiction Therapists. She also sees teens, and she works with the trauma and attachment wounds that can sit beneath compulsive patterns.

Before becoming a therapist, she spent about fifteen years as a high school teacher and school counselor. Her style is eclectic and client-centered, with room for big emotions and honest mistakes. She will gently question patterns that once helped someone cope but now keep them stuck.

Tegan holds a master's in School Counseling Psychology and completed a Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. She is Level II trained in Lifespan Integration, an attachment-based trauma therapy, and is training in Internal Family Systems.

Specialties

• Sex and pornography addiction
• Betrayal trauma
• Trauma and attachment
• Shame and self-worth
• Teens

Training and approaches

• Lifespan Integration (Level II)
• Internal Family Systems (in training)
• Gottman-informed couples work

Chris De la Vega

AMFT, CSAT-Candidate

Therapist · Orem

Chris is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist working toward certification as a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist. Recovery from pornography and sexual addiction is his primary specialty, and he works with adolescents 12 and older, adults, couples, and families.

His work draws on Internal Family Systems and psychodynamic therapy, which help clients understand the parts of themselves and the history behind unwanted behavior. He is collaborative and culturally responsive, and he works with clients from many philosophical, spiritual, and religious backgrounds, including people going through a faith transition.

Chris has a bachelor's in Psychology from Utah Valley University and a master's in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Massachusetts Global, with training in trauma-informed care.

Specialties

• Pornography and sexual addiction
• Couples therapy
• Faith transitions
• Trauma

Training and approaches

• Internal Family Systems
• Psychodynamic therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Nikki Christensen

AMFT

Therapist · Murray

Nikki works with both individuals and couples navigating the impact of sexual addiction, unwanted sexual behaviors, and betrayal trauma. She helps individuals overcome compulsive sexual patterns and work through betrayal trauma in healthy, sustainable ways, and she guides couples through the process of rebuilding trust and shifting into secure, thriving relationships.

She is actively engaged in specialized training in these areas and practices under the clinical supervision of Kyle Reid, LMFT, CSAT-S, pairing up-to-date, evidence-based training with experienced clinical oversight. Her couples training also includes an Emotionally Focused Therapy externship, the Gottman Method (she is pursuing advanced Gottman training), and Discernment Counseling.

Nikki holds a master's in Marriage and Family Therapy from Touro University Worldwide and a bachelor's in Marriage, Family, and Human Development from Brigham Young University. She also speaks Spanish.

Specialties

• Sex addiction and unwanted sexual behavior
• Betrayal trauma
• Couples rebuilding trust
• Discernment counseling

Training and approaches

• Emotionally Focused Therapy
• Gottman Method
• Discernment Counseling
• Brainspotting

Christopher Knox

CMHC

Therapist (online sessions)

Christopher works with people in recovery from sex and pornography addiction. He offers a space without judgment, where clients can be honest about what has been happening and explore how change could happen for them.

Curiosity is at the center of his approach: he wants to understand what each person is facing and how they can best respond. He draws on Emotionally Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, solution-focused therapy, and trauma-informed care.

Christopher is a Clinical Mental Health Counselor licensed in Utah and Arizona, with a master's in Counseling from Arizona State University. He has worked with youth and families since 2005. He sees clients online, with evening and some weekend times.

Specialties

• Sex and pornography addiction
• Anxiety and depression
• Trauma
• Faith transitions

Training and approaches

• Emotionally Focused Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Solution-Focused Therapy
• Trauma-informed care

Chris Adams

LMFT, CSAT, RDX-S

RDX Specialist · Murray

Chris may join some Couples Intensives as our RDX specialist. Kyle and Jennifer Atkinson lead every intensive. Chris does not see clients for sex addiction or betrayal in his regular therapy work.

Chris created the RDX Effect, a framework for understanding the relational dynamics that shape couples and families. He is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist, and he serves as Administrative Director of Connections Counseling Services.

His style is structural and strategic: he is directive, and he gives homework meant to change what happens at home, not just what happens in the room. He believes that once people understand the system they are part of, it stops controlling them.

Specialties

• RDX Effect
• Relational dynamics
• Couples and family systems

Training and approaches

• Gottman Method
• Brainspotting
• EMDR
• Parts work

Drew Vernick

LCSW

Sound Bath Specialist · Murray

Drew may join some Couples Intensives as our sound bath specialist. Kyle and Jennifer Atkinson lead every intensive. Drew does not see clients for sex addiction or betrayal in his regular therapy work.

Drew is our sound bath specialist. A classically trained musician from a family of musicians, he creates an immersive sound experience with crystal singing bowls, native-style flutes, drums, chimes, and rattles.

He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and clinical supervisor with almost a decade of experience in mental health treatment and Eastern practices. He has studied yoga and qigong extensively and has spent years developing ways to bring mindfulness and sound therapy into clinical care.

Specialties

• Sound bath
• Mindfulness and meditation
• Breathwork