Therapists in Penelope, TX

As a licensed therapist in Texas, I bring over a decade of experience supporting individuals through complex emotional landscapes. My practice centers on creating affirming, compassionate spaces for clients navigating diverse challenges—from anxiety and depression to life transitions and interpersonal dynamics. I specialize in working with LGBTQ+ individuals, children and adolescents, older adults, and those experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, anger, and communication difficulties. My approach is deeply person-centered, focusing on building self-love, understanding personal patterns, and developing meaningful coping strategies. I believe in meeting each client exactly where they are, offering gentle guidance and evidence-based support tailored to their unique experiences and goals. My commitment is to create a supportive, non-judgmental environment where healing and transformation can unfold.

Congratulations! You have just taken a very courageous step in taking back control of your life. Just a word or two about myself in introduction. I have been working in the mental health field for the past Twenty two years working with people with depression, anxiety, personality disorders, bipolar, adjustment disorder as well as a variety of other issues. I am currently facilitating group counseling in a mental health setting specifically catering to patients who have depression, anxiety, bipolar and personality disorder diagnosis. I also see people in a private practice setting for individual therapy. I utilize an eclectic mix of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance Commitment Therapy in working with my clients. ln later stages of therapy I prefer to move the focus toward a forward focused, goal oriented mindset incorporating Positive Psychology to work toward the client's ideal self. I look forward to working with you and accompanying you on your journey of being you bravely!

Laura Sparkman is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Education with a Minor in Spanish in 2005. She later earned a Master of Counseling from Southern Methodist University in 2012. Laura has spent the last 18 years working across the medical, educational, and non-profit sectors with all demographics. She has served various roles as a teacher, learning specialist, guidance counselor and administrative / faculty adviser in both private and public schools in the greater Dallas area. Just as a diabetic requires insulin and a person with vision impairment needs glasses, sometimes we benefit from emotional support to boost optimal brain health and function. Counseling is a safe, collaborative opportunity for you to take personal, self-care time assessing, processing and redefining your life. Learn to build skills to improve communication, social relationships, goal setting, decision making, time management, organization, work / life balance, self-esteem and any other issues preventing you from being the most authentic, successful, fulfilled version of yourself. Laura’s passion and specialty is working with the learning different population who often struggle with co-morbid social-emotional challenges. As a hybrid professional, she blends the worlds of education & therapy offering her clients a myriad of practical strategies and tools. Additionally, Laura enjoys empowering parents & the larger family system to foster healing, strength, perseverance, and optimism through challenging times. She encourages her clients on their journey to better manage stress, anxiety, and depression. She uses a combination of therapy orientations tailored to the individual including Cognitive Behavioral, Solution Focused and Family Systems Therapy to instill hope by reframing maladaptive, distorted thought patterns and foster positive coping skills. Laura supports adults going through a wide variety of struggles and transitions. Life is a roller coaster with many unexpected ups and downs. While we can’t control our environment, we can control our actions and behaviors. We can learn healthier coping skills to deal with problems. An overwhelming mountain may become a more manageable mole hill. Laura provides a safe, non-judgmental space for you to be your true, authentic, vulnerable self. It can be difficult to focus on yourself when you have a lot of other responsibilities and roles. It’s important to take the time to get your own needs met, so that you can be calm, clear, present and intentional each day. Everyone deserves to have proper balance between their personal and work life. During the course of therapy, Laura will create a climate of acceptance and understanding so that you may feel free to share all of your experiences, perceptions, and emotions. Confronting distorted and denied patterns through a close therapeutic relationship allows many people to develop healthier ways of coping with life. Your brain will begin to re-wire itself and move towards optimal neural integration. This will allow for improved emotional regulation, mood enhancement and the ability to buffer daily stress. You will no longer be stuck or held back. Laura's job is to hold a mirror up and help remove the walls and obstacles so that you can become more attuned to your inner voice guiding you to whom you are meant to be.

I am licensed in Texas with 9 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, trauma and abuse, & coping with grief and loss. I also have experience working with coping with life changes. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. I like to use a collaborative approach. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas who has worked in private practice for 3 years and has worked, full time, as a crisis counselor for 2 years. In 2019, I graduated with a Master’s degree in Education through Lamar University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. During my education at Lamar University I was awarded a grant for my research and was awarded scholarships for my academics. My treatment approach is client centered, based on identifying, processing, and treating symptoms that are negatively effecting the client. Clients could expect to speak with a counselor who values individuals for their uniqueness. It is my goal to help every client better themselves and find peace in their lives.

Jessica Skinner is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in providing services to children, adolescents, and adults. Her preferred modality is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution Focused Therapy. She has worked with children, adolescents, and adults with various diagnoses including ADHD, anxiety, and depression to name a few. She gives a personalized approach to her clients and guide them in their journey to personal growth. Jessica graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 2004 with her bachelor’s in social welfare and then went on to graduate in 2006 from Columbia University in New York City with her master’s in social work. She has been a licensed social worker in Texas since 2006 and has worked as a psychotherapist since 2008. Jessica believes mental health is just as important as physical health and you can’t have one without the other. Her hope is that we end the stigma for receiving mental health treatment. You don’t have to suffer in silence and there is no shame in seeking help.

My what (short bio): I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013 with a Master of Science in Education and am currently working towards my Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership. As a Therapist, Company Culture Cultivator, and Leadership Development Facilitator, I work to support others in living the lives they desire. This intersection of professional development & job training and an individual’s happiness & life satisfaction is the focus of my current studies. It is my hope that not only will our personal but also our professional lives, will create an environment that allows us to not simply survive but thrive. My Why: I always thought I would climb the corporate ladder. Yet as my life progressed, I constantly found myself providing support for what was stressing and distressing those around me. I enrolled at UPenn to learn more about people and the human condition. I found that we are more alike than we think, capable of more than we try, and more courageous than we know. It is my goal to help all of my clients identify the lives they desire to lead and support them in living that life. My How: My sessions are CBT-based with a few other ideologies sprinkled in. It is my belief if we can gain awareness of our thoughts, we can better identify our feelings then we are able to choose our actions. I give my clients homework and use our sessions to reflect on present situations impacting their lives. We occasionally discuss the past and how it is impacting the present, after all, we are the sum of our experiences. To ignore the past is to ignore the foundation our life was built on. The two quotes below do a great job of capturing my thoughts on therapy and its impact on our lives. “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced,” - James Baldwin “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking”. – Albert Einstein Learn more about me at www.JtheTherapist.com

My approach to therapy follows a simple format delivered with the utmost respect and enthusiasm. I must earn your trust. This is supposed to help you. My communication style is generally void of jargon, tired sayings or "psychobabble". I follow Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a model. Initially some mutual understanding of the problem must be established. Definition fosters clarity; clarity strengthens meaning; meaning empowers solutions. The goal is for both of us to understand more fully just what it is about your situation that makes it a problem. For many this discussion alone brings a bit of relief. It feels good to be heard and understood. However very personal issues, secrets, about your life, about you, about what you think, must remain secrets to the extent that you are more comfortable with them being your secrets. I will not venture there. You will learn that some things are irrevocably secrets and nobody can ever know. I will teach you how to protect those secrets, and their effects, and only you will decide, and under what circumstances, which secrets, if any, you will ever release, including to me. Next we learn more about the cognitive behavioral model. We know it is effective but we will decide how it will apply to you and how will you best incorporate the model comfortably into your life. We will discuss and negotiate what you can do. I respect your comfort level but I also respect your ability to overcome limitations. You are here to make a change. The two of us will decide how that will look. I keep in mind the expense required of you. I will go month to month with the goal of helping you establish an improvement in your life in one to two months if possible. There will be an amount of work you will do. The beneficial effects of this work you will soon know. I very much encourage full use of this platform. We can utilize the most beneficial device available in this format which is the frequent contact via messaging. This lends itself well to the model we use. The techniques employed here are time honored and supported by research and experience. There is a vast amount of resources to explore. Or we make new ones. My typical schedule is Tuesdays,Thursdays, and Saturday and Sunday from 8 AM until 4 stopping time. I received my education from the University of Texas at Austin and was awarded Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 1986. I spent over 20 years in an in-patient facility in Texas as an Associate Clinical Psychologist. I have served as therapist to individuals from diverse backgrounds and with unique challenges. Some of the people I have worked with, in an alliance to make their lives at the very least tolerable, are among the coolest and most admirable humans I have ever known. I owe them a lot for the skills I bring here.

I am pleased that you have selected Betterhelp and me to reach out to for therapy. My name is Vanessa Costello and I am licensed in Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas with over 10 years of professional work experience. I have a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy and have worked as a Licensed Professional Counselor with a varied clientele. I have worked with children, teens, young adults, adults and seniors at various counseling agencies. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, relationship issues, motivation, self-esteem and confidence, & depression utilizing a Biblical Christian perspective alongside other treatment modalities. I have expertise in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and Trauma focused therapy. My goal in counseling is to foster a collaborative, healing relationship that provides safety for healing and growth for each of my clients. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy takes courage and I am proud of you for getting started!

I am licensed in Texas with over 26 years of having the honor of connecting with amazing individuals. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, coping with addictions, coping with grief and loss, & motivation, self esteem, confidence, relationships and so much more. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to support you in that process.

I am licensed in Texas with experience working with children and adolescents and women experiencing life transitions. I have experience in helping clients with trauma and abuse, parenting issues, motivation, self esteem, and confidence, & career difficulties. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. Taking the first step to seeking a more fulfilling and happier life takes courage. I am here to walk alongside you in support in the process.

I am licensed in Texas with 10 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, coping with addictions, parenting issues, & motivation, self esteem, and confidence. I believe in treating everyone with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. I will tailor our dialog and treatment plan to meet your unique and specific needs. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support & empower you in that journey.

I am licensed in Texas with years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping individuals with stress, anxiety, coping with addictions, relationship issues, coping with grief, & coping with loss. I also have experience working with depression. I work with my clients to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. Taking the first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and I am proud of you for getting started!

As a licensed therapist with extensive experience, I have dedicated my career to supporting individuals navigating life's complex emotional landscapes. My approach is rooted in compassionate, evidence-based care, with a specialized focus on helping clients address depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, and personal growth. Throughout my 40-year professional journey, I've developed a deep understanding of how individuals can effectively manage stress, build resilience, and cultivate meaningful personal transformations. I am committed to creating a supportive, non-judgmental environment where clients can explore their experiences and develop practical strategies for emotional well-being. My therapeutic style emphasizes collaboration, respect, and personalized care. I work closely with clients to understand their unique strengths and challenges, helping them develop insights and skills that promote lasting positive change. Whether you're experiencing life transitions, struggling with self-esteem, or seeking support through difficult emotional periods, I am here to walk alongside you with genuine empathy and professional expertise.