Welcome, my name is Malinda Simmons. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas.
I have been a lifelong student and although my professional journey started in 2003 when I graduated with a M.A. in Counseling, from as far back as I can remember, I have been a fearless advocate for the underdog, the broken. My life's experience, education and subsequent journey into the helping field has provided me with many different therapeutic approaches that can help empower you to make healthy and beneficial choices in your life.
The majority of my counseling relationships have been spent working with sexual abuse survivors and individuals, couples and families struggling with addiction. Those experiences (as well as some of my own), have led me to a focus in Trauma Informed Care which is an approach that centers on how the different life conditions we are faced with, especially in our developmental years, impact our brains development. This is very important because our brains are basically our operating system --often, left unchecked, behind the scenes running the show. Which in turn, leaves our "guardian of safety", our autonomic nervous system, stuck in either fight, flight or freeze mode. No wonder we find it difficult to move forward. Both our brains and our bodies can lead us astray when we need them the most.
Unfortunately, for people who have suffered trauma or toxic stress, especially in one's developmental years, relationship with self and with others can be challenging and unstable and often cause lifelong heartache and hardships in every area of life. Those early developmental years of programming tint how and what we see, think, and feel as well as what we do (or don't do) and how we do it (or don't do it).
And this is the exact place we find ourselves when we reach out for help. Stuck in our programs. Afraid, confused, broken, hopeless, alone yet often surrounded by people, exposed and vulnerable, hiding, distrusting, anxious, in destructive relationships, doing destructive things, lost, etc.
But trust me, you are not lost. YOU know. You know YOU. You know what is best for you. You know what you need to heal.
With a little help, a safe environment, YOU can find YOU, and you can find your answers. You can find the power within to make the choices to better your life. I would be honored to walk with you on your journey of discovery, of recovery -- recovering and discovering YOU.
Priority will always be on building a safe, connected, attuned relationship despite what we may be currently working on. A relationship in which you feel SEEN, HEARD AND VALUED.
I believe one's soul not only knows what it needs to heal itself but it is innately empowered to make the choices that best honors themselves.
I look forward to working with you and being a witness to your beautiful life!
Additional areas of focus: Stress, Anxiety, Family conflicts, Grief, Anger management, Self esteem, Coping with life changes, Abandonment, Attachment issues, Codependency, Commitment Issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Domestic Violence, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Emptiness, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, Forgiveness, Guilt and shame, Isolation / loneliness, Life purpose, Post-traumatic stress, Self-love
Clinical approaches: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Jungian Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy