Samaritan Center has been saving lives and giving hope to Central Texas families for more than 45 years. We envision a healthy and compassionate community where every individual achieves mental, physical, spiritual and social well-being. We heal hearts, provide hope, and enhance lives with a holistic approach to mental health for all ages, whole families and the military community. Since 2007, we have supported veterans and military families through our Hope for Heroes program. With 14 counselors and 2 acupuncturists, we have a unique approach to treating individuals and families.

I enjoy working with clients that feel they have none to talk, trust, or ask for help. I have been a successful counselor many other clients, but my open and direct style tends to hash better with males, first responders, or veterans. I have been successful with helping teens, especially those who have had a rough time, substance-use, or judicial issues. I have years of experience in assessing and treating neurological, developmental, and degenerative disorders. I am fascinated by the brain and nervous system, and I have helped many clients or families of those suffering from TBI, ADHD, epilepsy, and many other diagnoses.

Hardly anybody I know aspires to be that average, center-of-the-bell-curve person. In different ways, we all deviate from the norm, which explains our own uniqueness. My aim as a therapist is to work with individuals, couples, triads, and families in a way that celebrates their uniqueness and "incurable deviance." By meeting you where you are, with who you are, in a way that makes best use of your unique strengths, hopes, dreams, and quirks, we can work together as client(s) and therapist to help you address your current challenges, get lots more of what you want, develop skills, transform, and explore new choices available to you.

If you're feeling the alone-in-a-crowd thing...like walking around in a fog? Stomach aches for no reason? Mind won't stop racing? Or maybe it's been hard to fall asleep for awhile - even harder to stay asleep (and feeling refreshed is a distant memory). Maybe you've lost your patience and can't remember the last time you had it. Maybe the stuff you usually count on to re-charge is a big drain instead...and causing conflicts which is the last thing you need. If this sounds like you or someone you care about, Please consider reaching out. Maybe it's time to try something different: TheRanchatSouthWind.com

We’ve all had sexual encounters we regret. It’s normal. However, what if you engage in sexual behaviors time after time despite the fact you don’t want to anymore? What if hating yourself for it or hurting someone you love by doing it isn’t convincing enough to refrain? I help those whose love and sex experiences are driven by compulsivity and preoccupation rather than spontaneity and freedom. Many might identify as addicts or describe their behavior as an addiction. Others call it problematic, while some may not really know what it is. In any case, sex, porn, or intimacy has become an overpowering force in your daily life.

Tired of wearing a mask and each day and forgetting a little more of who you really are? Sadly, in trying so hard to be agreeable and flexible with others, we often lose ourselves. Are you ready to leave the masks behind? My background with Aspergers (ASD), ADHD, social skills, anxiety management will help you to increase your coping skills and get more out of each day.

Has a loved one died recently or even many years ago? Do you feel you should “move on” or “be past it”? Are friends telling you it is time to start dating again? Perhaps you are tired of being told “you’re doing so good” when you feel lost, scared and upside down. Would you like a deeper understanding of your grief and its process?

I believe that success in psychotherapy ultimately depends on developing a genuine dialogue between you as a person, and me as your therapist. The gentle art of change also means discussing the context of your life-- where you are at now-- and how you got there (including how you developed and maintain the values you live by). Your values provide the "richness" to living. Most of all, the process of psychotherapy means understanding what you've already tried, whether it has worked (or not worked) -- and yes-- what gets in the way of you living a better life.

Understanding or changing our emotions, behaviors and relationships can be a difficult task to take on. Having the support of an unbiased perspective can help as we grow beyond the things that cause us discomfort. As a systems therapist, I understand the issues brought into the therapy in relation to the school, work, social, societal, intergenerational and relationship systems involved. Yes, that does mean talking about your parents and how the messages you received in your family have shaped you. It also means talking about the ways culture, race, sexuality, work environments and history affect the ways we feel and behave.

Do you feel like you are continually battling uphill due to depression, anxiety, trauma, or sexual addiction issues and it seems like nothing you do helps? Has Covid-19 and social distancing kicked it all off again or made it worse? Do you have childhood issues that keep seem to always be coming back to haunt you? If so, I can help you by showing you how to recover from these to help unlock energy that gets trapped inside yourself and help you be a the most functional person you can. I use a combination of methods to help get your brain and mind to work for you rather than against you, and am a certified EMDR practitioner.

**UPDATE: CURRENTLY OFFERING INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP TELETHERAPY** Together we will empower your inner healer and develop new coping skills that allow you to feel confident, capable, and connected. We may use different researched-based modalities including EMDR, talk, expressive arts, play, or sandtray. We will discover your values and strengths, as well as factors currently holding the greatest influence over your life. Using these discoveries, we will replace old patterns with more intentional choices that nurture feelings of fulfillment and success.

**Not accepting new clients** I focus on helping clients identify and attain their own personal goals in therapy. I believe in empowering clients while compassionately guiding them through the therapy process with a mind-body approach to healing. I have worked with a broad and diverse group of people, both adults and adolescents, with issues related to academics, career development, trauma, family relationships, lgbtqia specific issues, domestic violence, romantic relationships, anxiety, depression, and grief. I enjoy working with individuals, groups, and couples. I look forward to hearing from you!

NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS. I specialize in working with adults, adolescents, and couples during transitional points in life. During transitions, we are often filled with dread, grief, anxiety, timidity, and the overwhelming sense of loss of self and equilibrium. In my counseling office, my goal is to create a space where we will work together to help you restore a sense of balance.

Having worked in the field for the past twenty years, my passion is to help children, adolescents and adults overcome and manage their symptoms of trauma and exposure to violence. I have worked extensively with parents, teachers, and child care providers in the area of early childhood mental health providing consultation and seminars to assist them in increasing their effectiveness with young children, zero to five. My work with ACT Raising Safe Kids has allowed me to train parents and professionals on an evidenced informed parenting curriculum for children 0 to 8.

I am a clinical psychologist who works with children, teens, adults and parents dealing with many challenges that life may bring, including depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, and self-esteem issues. I strive to provide a warm and safe environment in which we can explore, process, and deeply understand your experience, identify treatment goals and learn new strategies for coping with difficulties. My ultimate goal is to promote personal growth and help you or your child/teen internalize our work so that you have the tools to overcome future obstacles in addition to the current ones.

TeleHealth - send brief/discreet email for spot on wait list. "Why me? What did I do wrong? Are they a narcissist? What did I do to deserve this? Am I a jerk magnet?" Individual Counseling: Self-esteem, PTSD, Recovery from relationships w Narcissists (emotional, mental, financial abuse, & more); Codependency. Helping you cope & move on after emotional, mental, and verbal abuse. Dealing with Unloving, Toxic, Narcissistic Parents or Partners. Helping with better communication; address spousal infidelity; or repair codependence & strengthen your self esteem.

The journey toward healing and overall mental health can be difficult, and often, the most challenging part is knowing where to begin. You may feel stuck or even overwhelmed. My role is to eliminate that complexity, so you can concentrate on the path to recovery, and ultimately free yourself to focus on what matters to you most – your family, your career, your relationships. With specializations in research-based modalities - including EMDR, I empower my clients with the knowledge and understanding to face their challenges, stressors, or symptoms head-on. And in that process, free yourself from the mental barriers and fog weighing you down.

There are difficult things that are hard to talk about and you may carry them quietly for years and years. They weigh on you, causing emotional, physical and relational problems. If you've reached a point where you feel that you can no longer do it alone, I would like to help. As a counselor, I will listen, and will work together in helping you with what has or is happening. Our goal will be to accept yourself unconditionally and determine the best next steps to overcome what you are facing.

Anxiety, depression, anger and family relationships are a few of the reasons that parents and caregivers seek counseling for their children. I provide child and adolescent therapy services in central Austin with a focus on transitions, coping skills and emotion management. I have extensive experience with a range of issues including; aggression, self-esteem, grief and loss, anxiety, depression, divorce and social skills. Through the use of Play Therapy, Sand tray, Mindfulness, and Solution Focused techniques I help my clients explore ways to make lasting changes. I believe in providing a safe and supportive environment where children can freely explore their inner world.

I hold a doctorate in clinical psychology and am internationally recognized for my work with adolescents and families in the areas of trauma and problematic sexual behavior. I am a licensed Sex Offender Treatment Provider (LSOTP). I provide treatment services in both English and Spanish, for adults and children. I have extensive experience conducting psychological evaluations and can also provide consultation in cases involving divorce, child protective services, and other forensic (law) issues. I can provide expert testimony in court and individual therapy as well.