Teen Therapy
What is Teen Therapy?
Navigating the complexities of life while managing school, extra-curricular activities,
friendships, and romantic relationships can be quite challenging in the teen years. Teens
can sometimes feel alone, anxious, or depressed and may need some outside support.
Coming alongside teens is one of our passions. We love to partner with them in
understanding their unique experiences and feelings, work with them to set and meet goals,
and eventually see them flourish. The skills gained through teen therapy makes life a little easier for your teen and for you.
Our approach to teen therapy
We are committed to understanding.
As a teen, it can feel lonely and isolating experiencing your overwhelming feelings, but you don’t have to do it alone.
We provide a safe space
Teen therapy can be the place where you unload all of those heavy emotions, struggles, and questions of identity
We equip you with tools for healthy coping.
Together we will create a toolbox to use when coping with your overwhelming emotions.
We look past the symptom to the cause.
Often the symptom that is bringing you into therapy is not the root of the issue. Finding the cause of your symptoms and healing from these things can often provide longer lasting relief, so we will work to explore your story and find places where pain began to take root.
Therapy Modalities We Use for Teen Therapy
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help teens manage negative thoughts.
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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for emotional regulation and coping skills.
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Trauma-Informed Care to support teens healing from past hurts.
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Attachment-Based Therapy to strengthen family relationships and build secure emotional connections.
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Narrative Therapy to help teens reshape negative life stories and find empowerment.
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) – aims to alleviate the distress caused by traumatic memories or upsetting experiences by helping the brain reprocess these memories in a way that reduces their emotional impact and allows for normal healing.
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Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) – Uses eye movements and guided imagery to quickly process and reduce distressing trauma-related memories.
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Faith-Based Counseling available when a teen desires to integrate faith into their healing journey.
What to Expect in Teen Therapy
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A compassionate, safe space where teens can be heard and understood.
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Therapy tailored to individual needs, with or without a faith-based approach.
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Guidance on navigating relationships, mental health, and personal growth.
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Practical tools for emotional resilience, confidence, and decision-making.
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Meet Our Teen Therapy Specialist
MARISA COCKRELL, MA, LPC - FOUNDER
I am passionate about working with individuals and couples, teens and adults who find themselves struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, and their sexuality or gender. I work to create an environment of connection and care, without judgement, where clients can come to a better understanding of themselves and how they relate to others. I believe the therapist and client work together as a team to find and process ways to better cope with the pain in one’s life.
I hold a Masters in Biblical Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary. I am EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) trained. I am certified as a facilitator with Prepare and Enrich and I am certified in Restoration Therapy, Level 1. I also have extensive training under Dr. Mark Yarhouse in navigating sexual and gender identity for people of faith and extensive training in Narrative theory work with Dan Allender.
Together, we will explore and address current concerns, as well as work to discover how the coping skills client’s have developed since childhood are causing stumbling blocks for them today.
ELIZABETH WESTBROOK, LMSW, NPT-C
My heart lies with the shame-filled and brokenhearted, the busy professional who is wearing too many hats and unsure where to set boundaries, the family that is hurting, and those wounded by religion or the opinions of others. I have a primary focus in working with those who are part of both the LGBTQ+ and faith-based communities, individuals navigating sexual, betrayal, and other traumas, blended families, and the uncertain client who has found themselves questioning who they are and who they want to be.
I am an Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) trained practitioner, providing support for clients who have experienced significant trauma.
I am an LMSW, under supervision of Cindy Reibenstein, LCSW-S. I received my Masters in Social Work from The University of Houston. While there, I was a Fellow in Advanced Mental Health Practices and Integrated Healthcare. As a LMSW, my commitment to my clients is so much more than what happens in our session. My desire is to empower you with community resources, access to a wide range of support, and a commitment to providing a space free of judgement or imposing beliefs.
The road to healing is not linear and not done well in isolation. My deepest desire as a psychotherapist is to help you discover what you value, make sense of who the world says you need to be, create an environment where you come to believe that you’re never a sum of the worst things that have been done to, or by you. You, reading this right now, are so worth loving, and I can not wait to meet you.
ABIGAIL FONTENOT, MA, LPC - ASSOCIATE
I believe that everyone has a unique, intricate and beautiful story that is waiting to be told. There are times when we just need a safe place that provides opportunities to understand the complexities, and experiences within our lives. Counseling can be that place! I enjoy working with people across the lifespan including early adolescence, teens and adults. My heart is with those suffering from the effects of traumatic experiences, struggling in relationships, dealing with depression, anxiety or disordered eating and those navigating sexual issues. Each one of us longs for wholeness, to be known and to find peace. Perhaps it’s in your current stress, unhelpful thoughts, or confusing feelings. Life contains an array of experiences which shape who we are. It can be overwhelming to make connections and find healthy rhythms for ourselves. If you are seeking healing for yourself through counseling, that is a courageous first step! Healing can happen when we take time to understand to our stories. I consider it an honor to sit with people as they learn to fully pay attention to themselves and honor their lives.
I employ counseling techniques from a biblically integrated perspective using approaches from person-centered therapy, existential therapy, and restoration therapy. I believe that the counseling relationship is essential to the therapeutic process. Walking alongside clients through their pain, and questioning is a privilege for me. I view my role to be partnering with clients on their healing journey and finding ways to encourage and facilitate personal growth. Allowing someone to weed through the brokenness with you is a commendable thing that is not to be taken lightly. I believe that learning to live life with God is what is most transformational. He is the source of contentment, comfort and light. Holding the hope that only He offers is what I love to do for clients who are seeking to take hold of that hope for themselves.
I hold a masters degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, and I am an LPC-Associate under supervision of Pam Cosart, LPC-S.
TAYLOR GARCIA, MA, LPC
My experience in and out of the counseling office has lead me to find success in working with children, adolescents, parents, and women of all ages. My areas of interest include ADHD, anxiety, boundaries, family of origin issues, life transitions (specifically the transition into motherhood) and parenting. I approach counseling with the whole person in mind; treating mind, body, and spirit. I find it a great honor to be let into other people’s stories and witness their achievement in finding freedom and meaning in their lives.
I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Texas A&M University and then received my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Denver Seminary in Littleton, Colorado. Post graduation I have worked with clients of all backgrounds but especially enjoy those wanting to incorporate their Christian faith into the counseling process. I am fully trained in EMDR to help clients process trauma and am working towards my Perinatal Mental Health Certificate (PMHC) through Postpartum Support International.
“You can’t go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
– C.S. Lewis
The hope imbedded in the above quote is what I believe is at the heart of the therapeutic process.
Many of us have experienced loss, unmet needs or trauma in our childhood and while we can’t go back and change those things we can find agency today to be the person, partner, woman, or mother we want to be. I believe that the relationship between counselor and client is vital to the changes that clients make in their lives; therefore, I strive to create a warm, empathic, and honest working relationship.
CHELSEA RHODEN, MA, LPC
My main area of focus is trauma, and I also work with clients ages 13 and up who face a broad range of issues. I work to integrate spiritual, emotional, psychological, and physical aspects into the counseling process in order to help the whole person grow and heal.
I hold a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary. I am EMDR Trained. I am a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and am trained in Restoration Therapy, Level 1.
The trust between client and therapist is one of the most powerful components in the therapeutic process. I see the opportunity to build this trust as an honor, and I utilize an eclectic approach tailored to best help the individual. It is a privilege to navigate life’s challenges alongside my clients, and it would be a joy to serve you in this way.
MELISSA RENEAU, MA, LPC - ASSOCIATE
I enjoy working with individuals, couples, and teens who are experiencing transitions in their lives. I also work with individuals who are struggling with anxiety or depression. I have experience helping couples and individuals transition to parenthood. I work to create a nonjudgmental space where clients feel safe and supported so they can explore their lives. Together we can explore your current concerns and help you explore your next steps.
I am an LPC-Associate under the supervision of Michele Bachman, MA, LPC-S. I earned a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Liberty University. I am trained in EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. I have completed the Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) Externship. I am also certified as a facilitator with Prepare and Enrich.
NATHAN BLATTMAN, MA, LPC - ASSOCIATE
So many of us experience pain that leaves us feeling overwhelmed, confused, and alone. I desire for each of my clients to know that they are deeply cared for and do not have to carry their burdens alone. Through providing a space of genuine care and acceptance, I seek to help people make sense of their experiences and emotions. I am honored to journey alongside individuals, couples, adults and adolescents to help them better understand their pain and discover a path to peace.
It is my passion to work with those wrestling with anxiety, depression, addiction, and anger. For many people, these experiences are endured or pushed to the side as an inescapable part of life. My desire is to help people work through the things that often feel insurmountable and find peace on the other side.
I hold a Master of Arts in Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary and I am Restoration Therapy Certified, Level 1. While I work predominantly from the framework of Restoration Therapy, I practice an eclectic range of therapy to best meet each individual’s needs and goals. I am under the supervision of Dr. Erik Salwen, PhD, LPC.
HALLIE NICHOLLS, MA, LPC - ASSOCIATE
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate under the supervision of Lynn Strom MA, LPC-S. I have a MA in Clinical Mental Health from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I aim to provide an evidence-based, spiritually integrated, and relational approach to holistic healing.
I am open to seeing a variety of clients from pre-teens to adults, struggling with the presenting problems of anxiety, depression, relational concerns, attachment issues, grief, and spiritual trauma.
I have experienced first-hand, the profound benefits of personal therapy and believe that healing happens in the relationship built through mutual respect, trust, and a common goal. I believe there’s not much more transformative than having someone wholeheartedly on your team.
I am trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Solutions Focused Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Every person is unique in their personality and experiences, and I hope to meet my clients where they are, using a combination of styles that works best for them. I have an eclectic approach incorporating skill building and meaningful attachment work. I especially enjoy using EMDR with clients with trauma symptoms.
It is an honor to walk with clients as they process difficult parts of their story, learn to see life through the lens of hope and possibility. I hope to be a safe and encouraging teammate to my clients as they experience relief and forward movement towards healing.
I can’t wait to be on your team!
– photos by Barbara Z, Naranja Dulce Photography