Hollie PoolLMFT

I find that I am happier, more productive, and just a better person overall l when I am being true to myself. My approach to therapy centers around discovering and embracing your authentic self. My goal is to help you understand yourself and others better in order to be able to move past difficult feelings like anger, sadness, doubt, and uncertainty. Personally, my favorite aspect of therapy is the accountability piece. I need someone to call me out on my excuses, half-hearted efforts, and the ways in which I am getting in my own way. And as a therapist, I feel that my best work is done when I am challenging my clients to take an active role in living their best life. I am not your average head nod, warm and fuzzy therapist; my clients value my honesty and non-judgmental acceptance of even their darkest of places.

Having been trained in the principles of Marriage and Family Therapy, I often refer to myself as a "systems thinker." I remember one of my professors from grad school saying, "All behavior makes sense in context." No matter how unreasonable the behavior or how irrational the thought according to another, to that person, those words or actions are completely justified. A person, in their mind, is behaving in a manner consistent with their perceptions, beliefs, values, interests, and experiences. From a systems perspective, it is necessary to consider all of the factors that are in play including an individual's experiences, knowledge, belief systems, personality characteristics, social settings, community expectations, cultural influences, past trauma, etc. In my opinion, effective therapy must begin with increasing awareness of how those factors have played a role in our own development. When we are confronted with the hard truth that our past has led us to thinking and behaving in ways that no longer serve us, we can begin the process of change.

My journey with mental illness began when I was 14 years old. I grew up right smack dab in the middle of a dysfunctional family system and received the role of scapegoat. After several years of therapy, medications, misdiagnoses, and hospitalizations, my 16-year-old sister suggested that maybe I was suffering with Borderline Personality Disorder. And so began my journey of growth and healing. When I was finally able to pull myself out of the misery that I had become all too comfortable living in, I discovered that happiness was possible. I had spent so long being a prisoner of my own emotions and anxieties. I found freedom through change and I wanted others to know what that was like. I became a therapist because I believe in the power of therapy to help people take control over their lives and gain the ability to cope with unpleasant life events. I have the best job in the world. I get to connect with people and watch them emerge from their cocoons and transform into beautiful, unique butterflies.

• Texas, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, 203778

Prior to graduating my Master's program, I spent a year working with family and couple systems at a non-profit organization. During that same year, I worked in a domestic violence shelter, empowering women to find their inner strength and overcome their circumstances. After graduating, I spent 4 years working in various correctional environments including maximum security prisons and county jails. I was afforded the opportunity to experience the resiliency of human kind and to witness true metamorphosis. My clinical work was primarily focused upon treating anxiety and depressive disorders as well as personality disorders and addictions. I became extremely skilled at helping individuals work through life transitions and find ways to restore hope and motivation. After 4 years working in the KS correctional system, life led me to Texas where I currently work at an inpatient psychiatric hospital treating acute psychosis, panic disorders, substance use disorders, and major mood disturbances.