Counseling Services

View information about Counseling Services within our Services section by reviewing this area of our website. We provide a wealth of information online to help our visitors become better informed about Brazos Children's Center.

Our staff is comprised of licensed professional counselors, clinical social workers, school counselors, and a licensed specialist in school psychology. We provide therapy to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. Examples of both Clinical and Educational Therapy include:

Individual counseling/therapy can help you in a variety of ways. It can also help you with a specific problem. It could be that you have a particular mental health problem or diagnosis. You may have tried to tackle issues on your own or by enlisting the help of family and friends, but have as yet been unable to find relief from your symptoms.

You may have sought prior professional help but feel you need further help now. Some come to us only with a vague sense that "something is not quite right." Our therapist can help you identify, work on and solve a variety of problems.

Clinical Therapy:

Therapy is provided in an outpatient setting and services are available year round.
Treatment is provided when a physician makes a referral (writes a prescription for therapy).
Based on a medical model, treating the underlying cause of the child's disability as well as functional limitations.
Clinical therapy is provided by a licensed physical or occupational therapist or speech-language pathologist in a one-on-one setting.
Goals are to improve the child's life skills and functional abilities.
Parents may participate in therapy and are often given activities for practice at home.
Services are paid for by private insurance, Medicaid, or private pay.

Educational Based Therapy:

Therapy services are available primarily during the school year although some students may qualify for extended year services (therapy during the summer).
Child must meet specific eligibility requirements.
Based on an educational model and is provided if a child demonstrates an educational need for therapy.
An evaluation is performed by a physical, occupational, or speech therapist who may provide therapy. Therapist will consult with the teachers and/or an aide who will then work on activities in the classroom setting.
Goals are to improve a child's ability to benefit from his or her educational program.
Therapy is provided during school hours. As such, it may be difficult for parents to participate.

Life Transitions

In our years of practice, we have found that periods of transition in one's life can be exciting and challenging but also highly stressful. This is a link to a common stress scale. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_and_Rahe_stress_scale

Examples of life transitions are:

- Career Change
- Marriage
- Separation and Divorce
- Starting a Family
- Infertility
- Retirement

While many of these transitions are "normal" parts of life, they can produce intense feelings that can be difficult to manage. Sometimes seeking the help of a trained professional for a short period of time while one goes through a major life transition can be enormously helpful.

- Relationship Issues: Individual psychotherapy can be an invaluable part of mending and sustaining intimate relationships with spouses, children, siblings, parents, work associates and friends.

- Bereavement: Loss is often difficult to manage alone. The process of mourning a significant loss often takes far longer than people realize. We have expertise in guiding individuals through the grief process with the goal of easing the pain of loss.

- When should you seek help? If you discover that your work, relationship/marriage or parenting ability is being affected by feelings of anxiety, depression, anger or other difficult emotions, it is always a good idea to discuss these concerns with a professional. Or if you just feel that something is wrong, that life is not as rewarding as it should be, it may be a good idea to have a consultation. A client may feel stuck or stagnant and need help in understanding why that might be. Individual psychotherapy can be an instrumental part of personal growth and development.

- How to get started: A telephone call to our center would be a first step in finding relief and help. We strongly believe in addressing problems early in their development. Call us at (254) 235-7604 to schedule an appointment. This first appointment will allow us to determine how we can be most helpful to you and it will also be a time for the clinician to answer your questions. We welcome your questions about any concerns you may have. We currently accept Medicaid and will be adding various insurance companies in the near future. We also accept private pay.

Family Therapy

Using a "family systems" approach of family therapy, our counselors work with the entire family to resolve conflicts. The immediate family or extended family is invited into the center to discuss their problems together with a trained counselor.

Child Therapy

Play therapy is generally employed with children ages 3 to 11, play provides a way for children to express their experiences and feelings through a natural, self-guided, self-healing process. As children's experiences and knowledge's are often communicated through play, it becomes an important vehicle for them to know and accept themselves and others.

Grief & Bereavement Counseling

All of us have had the experience of losing someone important to us. How we handle it can often make the difference between a satisfactory and unsatisfactory bereavement. At CTCAS we provide grief and bereavement counseling to help people talk about their loss, make changes in their lives, and decisions about the future.

Many couples today need help around issues of fertility: what options are available and what are the pros and cons of each one. In addition there are many psychological issues which arise that need to be thought through and discussed. The therapist who provides this service has struggled with this issue herself.

Educational Programs and Workshops

The staff of CTCAS is available to do workshops and educational programs for your group. Each counselor has the ability to communicate and provide excellent speaker's services. Try to give us a few weeks' notice so that we can schedule and prepare. We can do this with a topic of interest designed by you, or we have a list of topics to choose from.

Testing and Evaluation

Our therapists use a variety of evaluation and testing procedures for all ages to assess general intelligence, academic skills, executive functioning, career interests, personality, and behavior. We can review assessments from school to suggest interventions, or we can complete new assessments that can be shown to the school.

Financial Counseling

One of the therapists on staff was a financial adviser for three years and observed that many financial issues have an emotional component to them. The number one issue that couples argue about is money. He has developed an assessment tool to provide insight into financial behaviors and beliefs. He can assist couples in developing healthy ways to talk about money and make that one of the best parts of the marriage.