Online Counseling in
all of Texas
Why Online Counseling
Life is busy enough without adding extra stress to your plate. In-person therapy often comes with its own set of challenges: TRAFFIC - do I really need to say more, the headache of finding parking, and the anxiety of fitting appointments into an already jam-packed schedule. For many, these logistical nightmares become barriers to getting the help they need.
Who Can Benefit from Online Counseling
Truly anyone can benefit from online counseling.
And more and more studies are coming out about the effectiveness of online counseling being just as effective as in person counseling.
If you are a nerd like me, and want to check out the studies, click here.
Benefits of Online Counseling
There are many reasons online counseling can be helpful and even more beneficial than in person, when it comes to having access to your therapist from the comfort of your home.
Check out a few of them and click on the arrow to learn more!
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If you are struggling with depression and having an off day where you do not want to get out of bed, take a shower, get dressed, get in your car, drive, park, and walk in the therapy office. With online counseling, you don’t have to!
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If you struggle with agoraphobia or have a lot of anxiety leaving the house, with online counseling you also don’t have to. I know this can be a bit of a hot topic because the ultimate goal would be for you to leave the house, but with online therapy you can truly stair step it instead of jumping in the deep end first.
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If you are feeling a bit under the weather but not enough to cancel the session, you can join without the worry about getting other people sick or getting exposed to more germs.
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If you are chronically ill and are having a flare, no worries there. Rest, stay in bed, and join the session no problem.
Most underrated benefit of Online Counseling
One last benefit of online counseling that is specific to working with me is how online counseling has allowed me to live my best life truly. Since becoming an online counselor, my family and I have embraced a nomadic lifestyle where we travel. First in an RV around the US and now internationally. **Fun fact, almost all the pictures you see on my website are from our travels.
You might be thinking that is great for you but what does it have to do with me. Well, I hate to use a not so great quote but you know “happy wife, happy life” (I do not endorse this quote BTW!), I feel the same can be said with happy therapist, happy clients.
If I am not doing well with my own mental health because I am overworked, feel trapped, and don’t have a life outside of my business, I truly am no good to you. You have probably seen it before. Unfortunately, working with a burnt out therapist. It isn’t pretty.
When I am living my best life, traveling with my family, and feeling content, this shines through in my work with you. I have more capacity to sit with all of your trauma, feelings, concerns, venting sessions and more. My cup is full so I can hold on to hope and take on more. Because I am taking care of myself, I can better help support you through the worst times. This is actually an important lesson for everyone but more on that when you are in session with me!
Online counseling changed my life in a way I am forever grateful for. Getting to do the job that I love AND getting to live the life of my dreams with my family, I will never ever take for granted.
Online Counseling for Trauma
I know when it comes to using online counseling when working with people with trauma, there can be some skeptics. Trauma work is so closely tied to body work and there is a misconception you can’t do body work through a screen.
This is false. You can. As a therapist who emphasizes connection between the mind and body, I am very mindful of body movement of my clients and use some thoughtful adjustments to help foster this connection.
For more about how to best do trauma work using online counseling check out this great article by Pat Odgen, creator of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy.
Some of the benefits of doing trauma work online are:
Being able to set up your environment with all your comforts like your favorite blankie, your favorite mug of tea, and even having your animals nearby to help you ground and feel safe after processing tough subjects.
Being able to step outside right after a tough session and practice some grounding exercises using one of the most powerful regulators, nature.
If your partner or family is nearby and safe, being able to debrief with them right away and engage in another form of powerful regulation, physical touch.
Online EMDR Therapy
This is another common misconception that you cannot do EMDR online. You can! When COVID hit, the powers that be who are in charge of EMDR training, quickly pivoted and helped train therapists to do EMDR online safely and ethically.
Learn more about doing EMDR online here.
With doing EMDR online there are several options for the bilateral stimulation part. If you have no idea what I am talking about start on my EMDR page.
We can either do eye movements using a program built for this, or binaural beats using headphones, or my preferred option is self-tapping.
Check out this demonstration of how online EMDR can be conducted here.
Learn more about my offering of EMDR therapy in Texas.
Online Counseling across Texas
Online Counseling across Texas
One of the really great things about online counseling is how it has drastically changed accessibility.
Let’s say you are looking for a specialized therapist like me, who is trained and has expertise in working with GenZ & Millennials with trauma.
BUT you live in a small town in Texas and your only options are generalist therapists who know a little about everything or someone your mom recommended who may or may not be a distant relative. Let’s just say the pickens are slim.
You could have ended up with a therapist like this hilarious tik tok.
But now, the world is your oyster! Or more like Texas is. You can pick from ALL available therapists in Texas and this truly expands your options from the best of 5 to the best of thousands.
More importantly, you can find a therapist who specializes in the exact struggles you are having instead of having to focus on geographical location. When someone is struggling with heart problems they don’t go to a podiatrist right?! Same for you. You want someone who gets your unique concerns.
If your struggles are related to trauma and show up in your current life with having a hard time being vulnerable, perfectionism, anxiety and hustle to perform and achieve, having a hard time saying no, and being hard on yourself, then I am a therapist who understands you and knows how to help.
I serve the following areas and all across the state of Texas:
Mcallen, Texas
San Marcos, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Austin, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
If you live in Texas, I can see you!
Online Counseling Across Texas: Convenient, Accessible, and Effective
When Online Counseling might not be a good fit
Although online counseling can be great for most people, if you struggle with the following concerns, it might not be the best fit for you.
Substance abuse struggles. This can be hard when doing online counseling because the therapist cannot fully access sobriety through a screen.
Lack of private space. If you live with several other people in your home and struggle to find a quiet, comfortable place where you can talk freely, online counseling could be a struggle. One way a lot of my clients overcome this is doing sessions in their car but again if you do not have a car, this could be a problem.
Wifi connection. If you struggle to stream Netflix or play video games, you probably don’t have strong enough connect to do video calls. Another way to circumvent this is to use your phone data but this wouldn’t work if you also don’t have great cell phone service.
Easily distracted. If you are like “squirrel” and get easily distracted, online therapy might be a struggle. TBH, I have worked with lots of clients who are easily distracted and it isn’t as big of an issue, I just help keep them on track. Some clients also get really distracted by their picture on the screen and it works better for them to hide it.