With today's societal message that you have to be happy, emotions and real human experiences such as pain, hurt, sadness and disappointment have, dangerously, become taboo; yet they are a part of the human experience. I understand the difficulties of expectations placed upon each of us to hide or suppress emotions. Together, we will work towards growth and positive changes in your life. Whether you are experiencing a temporary setback, or an ongoing problem, I can assist you. My goal is to help you through your challenges that may be creating barriers for you to move forward.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor ([LPC-Supervisor], TX#74457) and certified in Trauma Informed Yoga Therapy. I am a native Texan and was born and raised in the Dallas area. I developed a passion for helping others early in my life. Through my own, and family experiences, I have dreamed of helping others find peace and acceptance within themselves as well as help through pain and adversity.

I see each client holistically, where they are in the current moment, and am honored to assist you on your journey. Therapy is a process of self-discovery and my office is a safe, non-judgmental place to help you get back on track. My goal is to help you reach more fulfillment in your own life. I help clients establish more meaningful and healthy lives through relationships, authenticity, and finding significance in your own unique experiences. I offer a space for you to find your own voice and will provide you necessary tools to move forward. I have worked with individuals of all ages dealing with anxiety, depression, stress, major life transitions, and much more. My primary approach to counseling is existential and systemic; however, I know this approach isn't always effective with each client. Each person is unique and reacts to experiences differently. With my work and education, I am prepared to offer other modalities to help each client reach their full potential. Counseling sessions will include mindfulness, exploring emotional disturbances, and working with you to reach a positive experience of change.

Additional trainings I have received include: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Systems Theories, Trauma Informed Yoga Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Positive Psychology, Adlerian Theories, Mindfulness-Based Interventions, Family Attachment Therapy, human development, complex trauma, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Affirmative Therapy.

I have been working with individuals and families in many different capacities for almost 20 years. My experience began in the mid 1990’s through volunteer work helping families and individuals through family assistance programs. I started by working with families of children diagnosed with a terminal illness. Through this work I learned the dynamics of families and how hardships can take a toll on everyone involved. I moved into working as a behavior specialist in middle and high schools while in graduate school. I worked with adolescents diagnosed with intellectual and physical disabilities, autism, ADD and ADHD, speech impairment, visual impairment, and emotional disturbances. I helped these students with coursework, social skills, focusing, and anger management.

I have been counseling individuals, couples, families, and groups since 2011. I began working at a Women’s shelter where I was able to counsel adults, children, and groups struggling with complex trauma, major life transitions, and dual-diagnosis. I worked with women on positive parenting individually and in groups. I worked heavily with trauma cases, individuals in crisis, helping with safety plans as well as general processing of their own experiences. While working at the Women’s shelter, I completed a summer intern at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center Southwest Institute for Addictive Diseases. Here I was able to work with men and women struggling with addictions by providing individual, group, and family counseling. This work allowed me to gain a deeper perspective of addictions and how it affects not only individuals, but entire families. I was greatly appreciative to have been selected to work this short-term assignment and learn how to implement addictions as part of my practice. After working at the Women’s Shelter, I gained employment through the Lubbock County Juvenile Justice System providing individual and family counseling for those in need to overcome barriers and needing therapeutic intervention. Through this work with adolescents on probation, I was able to provide individual therapy in home and at school to my clients utilizing many modalities of counseling. Many of these adolescents experienced complex trauma, bullying, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. I worked with each family providing weekly in-home therapy to help them learn better communication skills and build stronger, healthier relationships with one another. I have worked extensively with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community through individual and group counseling for those identifying with this population. In addition, I provided, and continue to provide, trainings on working with clients identifying with the LGBT community for counseling agencies and school districts. Lastly, my work as a college professor has afforded me the opportunity to not only teach future counselors, but to continue to work with young adults in preparation for careers and general life transitions.

In private practice, I work with individuals of all ages experiencing life difficulties. I also work a great deal with couples experiencing struggles in their relationships as well as families. I am fortunate to be able to do what I love, which is helping others. Today, I continue to help individuals in all aspects of their lives to reach their goals, whatever that may be.

I am a native of the Dallas area and have seen tremendous growth and change in the area over the years. While growth and change can be positive, it is also coupled with real life stressors that can be hard to deal with on your own. I personally understand the struggle of meeting demands at both work and home and am happy to help you on your road to positive changes.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my spouse, two daughters, and two dogs. We enjoy traveling, hiking, going to the beach, and consider ourselves foodies. I love learning about other cultures, reading non-fiction books, and watching Netflix. An interesting fact about myself is, I used to work for the Forest Service and loved being outdoors every day.

My education includes:

• Bachelor of Science (BS) in Anthropology from University of New Mexico;
• Master of Arts (MA) in Family Studies and Human Development from University of New Mexico; and
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Counselor Education and Supervision from Texas Tech University.

I have experience presenting at the local, regional, state, national, and international level on a variety of counseling topics. I have also published articles in local and international journals and papers, as well as a book chapter.

Publications by Melissa:

Child Anxiety More Complex Than Disruptive Behaviors published in Park Cities People March 2018
Marriage and Family Textbook (2018): Chapter 16 Family Psychoeducation and Enhancement
Rape Culture Revisited: Concepts and Actions for Counselors Helping Survivors (2015)
http://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/vistas

Insurance accepted: Aetna, Cigna, BCBS PPO plans, and United Healthcare.

Hello, my name is Justin Harris and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (TX #79186) and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (TX #14180). I am a proud native Texan, having grown up in Central Texas and living in North Texas for the last several years. The seeds of my interest in helping others began when I was selected for a peer leadership and mentoring program in high school. I found this experience of helping others to be tremendously rewarding and deeply meaningful in my development as a young adult. While I spent my early adulthood pursuing my love of music, my desire to serve others

While I spent my early adulthood pursuing my love of music, my desire to serve others along their life journey ultimately drove me to seek professional training and understanding of the therapeutic process. I completed my M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through Tarleton State University. My early training experience consisted of working in a state-funded substance use treatment facility where I served low-income and homeless individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. My path then led me to working as an outpatient counselor for the same agency where I would routinely work with clients on their long-term recovery and growth. Prior to joining the Aspen Counseling Services team, I served as a lead therapist at a private co-occurring mental health and substance use treatment center.

Through my years of experience, I have provided counseling in individual, couples, and group settings, and I operate primarily from a person-centered perspective but am comfortable drawing from various theories and techniques to offer you an approach that best suits your needs. I place emphasis on exploring those things that may be keeping you from fulfilling your personal potential and being the best possible version of yourself. I understand that seeking help for the issues that bind you is often a daunting task, and many people do not reach out due to a lack of understanding of the therapeutic process, which can create uncomfortable feelings. I will take the time to guide you through identifying and, ultimately, coping with those feelings while working toward your personal counseling goals.

I am passionate about helping people with various issues including depression, anxiety, unresolved grief/loss, low self-esteem, complex trauma, substance use disorders, and personality disorders among many others. I believe in a patient approach and emphasize building a trusting relationship to help foster deeper reflection and personal accountability. I look forward to the honor of walking alongside you in your journey to wellness.

Insurance accepted: Aetna, BCBS PPO Plans, and United Healthcare