An Open Letter to Our Community

By Kristin Trudeau

I am sharing this letter to directly address false accusations and clarify the truth. I have remained silent until now out of professionalism, grace, and faith, but there comes a time when silence allows misinformation to grow. That time has passed, and it is important to speak plainly.

Hi, my name is Kristin. I serve in two roles in our community: as a therapist in private practice, where I work with adults and couples, and as a school counselor, where I support students and families in the academic setting. In both roles, I walk alongside people through some of life’s hardest seasons and help them find their way forward.

I am deeply grateful for the outpouring of support, encouragement, and prayers from so many in our community: friends, colleagues, parents, and clients alike. Knowing there are people who choose truth over rumors and compassion over judgment means more to me than I can say. It reminds me that integrity and kindness are alive and well here. My faith calls me to respond with grace, not insult, and to keep my focus where it belongs, on serving others with care, professionalism, and respect.

I am not writing this letter to challenge anyone’s personal beliefs or to criticize those who see the world differently than I do. Sadly, that is exactly what has been done to me, using fear and distortion to divide. People deserve to make decisions based on facts, not on rumors, speculation, or fear. My goal is to bring clarity, not conflict. I do not believe in hate, fear-mongering, or tearing others down.

The Facts

Back in May, an online publication launched a targeted effort to spread misinformation and personal attacks against me. This individual falsely claimed that I taught the state’s Family Life Curriculum and suggested it was inappropriate for "a sex therapist to be teaching 11- and 12-year-olds", framing it as though I was pushing personal beliefs on students. This individual deliberately tied me to this curriculum simply because of my sex therapist credential, knowing it would spark controversy and create a headline. This was not only untrue, but a calculated attempt to stir fear and suspicion where none existed. The article went further by misrepresenting my credentials as a sex therapist, turning them into false claims that I am crossing professional boundaries. None of this is true.

Since then, the same individual has escalated these claims in a recently posted online video. In it, she called my work “shameful,” stating, “it’s not my problem it’s a fact, in addition to being shameful,” and even suggested I was “embarrassed” by my work. These statements distort my qualifications into something salacious and untrue, and they do not reflect the reality of my work or my character.

Let me be clear: I am not ashamed. I am not embarrassed. In fact, I am proud of the work I do, because every story I witness is one of courage. Seeking support is an act of strength, and no one should be made to feel otherwise.

My Roles

In my private practice, I am first and foremost a licensed mental health therapist. I am also a trauma specialist, a licensed addictions counselor, a certified first responder counselor, and, most recently in the spotlight, a certified sex therapist. Each of these credentials reflects my commitment to meeting people where they are and supporting them in the ways they need most. Much of my work is devoted to serving first responders, veterans, and their families - communities carrying unique burdens that require specialized care. I also work with adults and couples navigating some of life’s heaviest challenges: trauma, anxiety, shame, relationship struggles, intimacy concerns, and more.

I am incredibly proud of the clients I serve. People fighting to heal from trauma, reconnect in their relationships, and reclaim joy in their lives. These are not shameful stories. They are stories of courage and resilience.

As a school counselor, I have the privilege of serving students and families, holding both a PreK to 12 school counseling license and an administrative license. This work is focused on academic support, emotional wellness, and crisis response, and it is completely separate from my private practice. To be absolutely clear, I do not teach sex education or discuss sex or sexuality with students. I also do not promote any agenda, LGBTQ or otherwise. My role is to provide academic, emotional, and crisis support in a way that is respectful, neutral, and aligned with the ethical standards of my profession. I fully adhere to all school and district policies, state laws, and professional ethical standards. I have faithfully carried out both roles since 2008, serving my community with consistency, professionalism, and care.

While my therapy practice and school counseling role are completely separate, they share one common thread: both are governed by strict ethical standards. I follow those standards without exception, because they safeguard the trust, safety, and wellbeing of the people I am here to serve.

What This Is Really About

Certification as a sex therapist requires extensive, evidence-based training and supervised clinical work to ensure care is ethical, competent, affirming, and inclusive. Rather than recognizing this, this individual chose to assign me a set of values and suggest that I was hired in the school system to promote them. That narrative is rooted only in bias and unfounded assumptions about my private practice and the populations I serve.

By focusing only on one credential and disregarding the rest of my work, this portrayal reduces years of specialized training and diverse experience to a single, distorted label. My certifications span trauma, addictions, first responder care, and more, each earned through years of commitment to serving this community with competence and care. Ignoring that fuller context is not only misleading, but it also diminishes the value of specialized expertise that so many people rely on in their most difficult seasons.

Even after being formally prompted, the title of the original piece was quietly altered, yet the content remains inaccurate, and the falsehoods were never acknowledged. Unfortunately, misinformation continues to spread through texts and emails, fueling fear instead of making space for truth.

To mischaracterize the work I do as something inappropriate is not only inaccurate, but dangerous. Stigma is the reason so many people suffer in silence, believing they have nowhere to turn. When therapy is demonized, the message becomes that mental health care is something to hide or fear. That silence does not just wound; it can cost people their lives.

My Commitment

As a Christian, I believe the God I serve is a God of love, not fear, and of compassion, not condemnation. His love welcomes, restores, and speaks with honesty, not by twisting facts or tearing others down under the guise of righteousness.

I stand for the people I serve, the ones who trust me to safeguard their stories, walk with them through hardship, and support their healing. The bond we have built within this community is something I hold with deep respect, and I will not allow fear driven narratives to diminish it. My commitment has always been to act with compassion, integrity, and professionalism, while maintaining clear boundaries between my private practice and my role in schools.

I trust that truth has a way of rising above the noise. My focus will remain on the people who matter most: my clients and the community I’m honored to serve.

At the end of the day, my work has always been about people. I will continue to walk alongside those who need care, support, and hope, because everyone deserves to be met with dignity and compassion.

With deep gratitude, 

Kristin Trudeau, MA, LPC-MHSP, LADAC II, CST, CFRC