What does success look like in therapy? How will a client know that they are making progress?
We will periodically look back at the hopes you had for your future self when we began therapy. We will look at the goals you set for yourself and determine if those goals have been met or if you want to re-word them to be more finely tuned as you progress. We may use some measurement tools as well to help us determine a reduction in symptoms such as anxiety or depression. As you progress in therapy, you will notice more days than before when you are in a positive state of mind. You will likely be able to feel the emotional heaviness from before lighten in intensity and/or frequency. As you meet the goals that you set for yourself, we will reduce the frequency of our sessions at a pace you are comfortable with until your graduation from therapy.
What do you view as a key component of the therapeutic relationship?
It is most important to me that you feel emotionally safe to be open with me about your experiences and the inner thoughts and feelings you have about those experiences and about yourself. Being vulnerable can feel risky. I commit to you that I will at no time judge you or your past. I will be your ally in exploring together how to move forward toward a happier future that you get to choose. The commitment I ask of you is that you brave feeling vulnerable enough to get the full benefit out of therapy.
If there was one thing you wish people knew about the therapy experience who might be hesitant to try it, what would that be?
All of us have internal and life situation struggles. We have a choice how to respond. Choosing therapy is about choosing our own pursuit of happiness. You will be in charge of what aspects of your life you want to improve. These objectives that you determine will lead us in therapy to decide goals that will guide our sessions. Our discussions in therapy will be led by my training, experience, and evidenced based therapy practices. Our time together will be a judgement-free zone. You are the expert on you and your life and together we will explore your best path forward toward happiness. If you had a loved one struggling through your current feelings or circumstances, you would want them to receive whatever help support you could find for them. It is time for you to care about your future self enough to get them that support now. Choose to take that first step forward.
Specialties
Depression
Depression often causes people to feel sad, empty, or hopeless, and can cause a lack of interest in life. It can also affect a person's thinking patterns and physical health.
Anxiety
Anxiety can mean nervousness, worry, or self-doubt. Anxiety disorder is a mental health disorder that entails excessive, repeated bouts of worry, anxiety, and/or fear.
Premarital counseling
Premarital counseling is a specialized form of therapy that helps prepare couples for marriage. Although it is helpful for struggling couples, it may be useful for anyone looking to build a stronger foundation moving into marriage. Couples may explore considerations around healthy communication, merging families, where to live, children, occupation, finances, maintaining a sense of self, supporting one another, and the wedding itself.
Trauma
Trauma is the result of experiencing a perceived, extremely distressful event. Although the stress threshold for each person differs, meaning that each person considers and experiences trauma differently, it is an event that tops one’s threshold. It exceeds one’s ability to cope or emotionally process. Symptoms may include shock, anxiety, confusion, hopelessness, feeling disconnected, mood swings, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts.
General Expertise
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is the degree to which a person feels confident, valuable, and worthy of respect. Feeling low self-esteem can influence overall well-being and be linked to anxiety and/or depression.
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by persistent instability in relationships, extreme emotional reactions, and chronic fear of abandonment. People with this may also tend to be moody, experiencing a lot of high highs and low lows.
Social Anxiety
Social anxiety or social phobia is fear of social situations or a fear of interacting with people other than close friends and family. Social anxiety can be persistent, intense, and debilitating, greatly affecting daily life.
ADHD
ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) causes a hard time focusing attention and controlling restless or impulsive behavior. People with ADHD might have emotional outbursts, be forgetful, and/or find it difficult to stay organized.
Addiction
Regular involvement with a substance or activity in a compulsive, hard to control way that often has harmful consequences. Often refers to substance use, but can include compulsive behaviors such as sex, gambling, or shopping.
Fees
$139
First Session
$180
Family Therapy
$180
Couples Therapy
$139
Individual Therapy
Types of Therapy
Family Session
Couples Session
Individual Session
Clientele
Parents
Young Adults (18-24)
Adults (25-65)
Seniors (65+)
Adolescents (13-17)
Treatment Approaches / Modalities
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy
Existential Therapy
Family Systems Therapy
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Training / Certifications
Trauma Informed Care
Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Family Systems Theory
The Gottman Method for Couples Therapy
Licensure
TX, LPC, 17330
Education
M.S., Counseling and Development, Texas Woman's University
Work History
2020-Current: CEO/ Clinical Supervisor of Generations Counseling Center, PLLC. My duties include the supervision of LPC Interns and other fully licensed therapists as well as providing therapy to my own caseload of clients. Our clients are members of all generations of families; children, adolescents, adults and Senior Citizens. We provide counseling to individuals, couples (including pre-marital counseling), and families.. We specialize in family preservation and reunification. 2002- 2020 : Senior Vice President at Children's Hope when I led the therapy and social work aspects of our programs. I supervised the Clinical Director of each program, guiding them in case management decisions and therapy direction. I consulted weekly with each Clinical Team of Therapists and Social Workers regarding treatment planning and on interventions for the Clinical Team and Caregivers to use in the treatment of trauma that our clients had experienced. I also maintained a small caseload, providing therapy to adolescents and their parents and other family members. 2000-2002: Therapist at Buckner Children and Family Services. My responsibilities there included treatment planning and facilitating individual, group, and family therapy for children in the foster care system that were living on a group home campus. I met with the children's house parents weekly to consult about behavioral interventions and parenting techniques. I advocated for the children and adolescent's best care and was the liaison between my agency and other agencies that the child was involved with such as the school system, CASA, juvenile justice, and CPS. 1999-2000: Internship at the Women's Center of Tarrant County where I maintained a caseload of women aged 18-64 who were struggling with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and relationship issues. I met daily with my supervisor, who had 40 years of experience, where she taught me additional strategies and techniques to best help my clients. I also co-facilitated group therapy and couples therapy with her.
Location
PO Box 65737, Lubbock, 79464, TX