Chris AllisonLicensed Associate Counselor

Chris Allison, Licensed Associate Counselor, ALC03841 is practicing under the supervision of Jay Byham (Alabama, LPC-S, 2502) at Catholic Family Services.

Please, note: A clinician listed as being “clinically supervised” is completing clinical hours toward their licensure. They have one or more fully licensed clinical supervisors that often have special training to become supervisors. They consult with their supervisor(s) on all of their cases, which means that, when working with them, you are getting the time and expertise of multiple therapists in your treatment.

I first became interested after reading psychological books and found them fascinating. I later received counseling of my own for myself and my family and came to believe I would enjoy and be a pretty good counselor myself. I tested the waters with a pastoral course and found that it was a good fit. I then fully committed to a graduate program and to becoming a licensed therapist myself. I find it very fulfilling to help people work through their difficulties, set goals, and grow into better versions of themselves.

I grew up as a missionary kid and later was a missionary myself. My faith is central to me and will inform how I conceptualize my clients, but I will never be pushy or force anything on my clients. I believe I have a very broad worldview in terms of culture, race, religion, and other factors that make people unique individuals, so I look forward to serving people of varying backgrounds. I believe people around the world are more alike than we are different.

I was trained as a pastoral counselor while I was living in Cambodia. I worked in that capacity for about a year while pursuing my master's degree. We moved back to the US and I began working at a teen in-patient treatment facility as a behavioral specialist. At the same time, I did my internships and gained experience in psychological testing and crisis counseling then, when my degree was completed, I returned to the teen treatment facility where I worked as a therapist. I saw a wide range of issues and worked on treatment plan development and implementation, addressing environmental, behavioral, and personality issues as needed. In early 2022, I switched to working at the agency where I am now, seeing an even wider range of clients. The issues I commonly see are anxiety, depression, loss, relationship issues, and more.