Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t expect you to hand your story to a stranger without asking a few things first.
Ask them all. Including the one about my furniture.
Before You Book
Anywhere in Texas! That’s right. I’m seeing clients virtually only right now, so if you’re a Texas resident, my office goes where you go.
Email me at traci@bessiescreekcounseling.com or text my office phone at (346) 307-6264.
One sentence is enough to start with. You can tell me the rest once we’re talking.
Sixty minutes.
My office hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9am to 6pm. Saturday and Sunday appointments are by special request only.
Monday is my “self-care” day!
Yes! I take insurance through Headway, with Aetna, BCBS, UHC, Cigna, Optum, Anthem, Oxford, Oscar, Carelon, and Providence.
Cancellations with less than 24 hours notice and no shows incur a $75 late fee.
When you cancel at the last minute or are a no-show, I’m unable to refill that appointment time, so it’s important that you do your best to attend your scheduled session or give advance notice.
I work with adults, eighteen and up, primarily women and men individually.
Every so often, a client asks to bring their partner in for a session or two. When that comes up, we’ll talk about whether that’s what’s needed.
What Our Work Together Looks Like
Mostly I ask and you talk. What brought you here, what’s been going on lately, what things looked like when you were growing up.
You don’t have to tell it in order, and you don’t have to get all of it out in the first hour.
At the end, I’ll ask you to go home and think about whether I’m the right therapist for you. Not every therapist fits every person, and you’re the one who gets to decide it.
Nothing rides on giving me the polite answer.
My sessions are collaborative. We work on whatever’s in front of you that week.
I’ll break the situation down piece by piece so you can see how it actually went, and then we build something you can use the next time it goes that way.
Some weeks, that means explaining what your body did a half-second before your brain caught up, and why slowing your breathing down on purpose changes it. Other weeks it means practicing out loud the sentence you’re going to have to say on Thursday.
I’ll never push you faster than you want to go.
Person-centered comes first, which means the direction of the work is yours.
From there, I work primarily from trauma-informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Other approaches come in depending on what you need.
Yes, and this is one of my favorite parts. What we talk about sinks in better with practice outside of our sessions.
Some of what I send you is psychoeducational, meant to teach you something. Some are questionnaires we analyze together. Some are worksheets to help you process.
Are they required? No. I’m giving them to you because I believe they’ll help.
And if you didn’t get to any of it, say so and we’ll keep going. Nobody is going to make you feel bad about a worksheet.
Attend your sessions weekly. Make notes of things that happen in between so we can address them. Complete the assignments I share with you.
None of it has to be done perfectly. You just have to try.
Absolutely not! I’m accepting of people from various spiritualities, and I’m happy to incorporate spirituality into sessions or leave it out.
The choice is yours.
The Ones You Were Going to Ask Anyway
Yes! I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in the state of Texas.
I earned my BA in Psychology from Texas A&M University and my M.Ed in School and Professional Counseling from Lamar University.
Since then, I’ve been in practice for over ten years, and I’m an Advanced Certified Trauma Practitioner.
Yes, absolutely. You’re welcome to ask me anything.
I won’t always answer directly, and there’s a reason for that. Questions are a lovely way to notice what we’re needing and to connect with what truly matters to us. Sometimes gently exploring the question turns out to be more meaningful than finding a quick answer.
So I’ll sometimes hand it back to you for a moment: what brings this question up for you, and what would it feel like to receive an answer?
You tell me! You’ll be sitting on your own furniture, since we’re meeting virtually.
And if you’d rather do it lying down on that couch, go right ahead.
Not necessary, but you can if you want to!
I love the I AM app and the Moodlight app!
Both. I love all kinds of animals, which the next answer is about to make obvious.
Farm animals, mostly. I founded Bessie’s Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary & Rescue, a nonprofit rescue, and that’s where most of my off-the-clock hours go.
Come meet the residents at www.bessiescreekfarm.org, or follow along on Instagram at www.instagram.com/bessiescreekfarm.
Start Here
Email me at traci@bessiescreekcounseling.com or text my office phone at (346) 307-6264.
Whatever chair you’re sitting in when you send it, that’s where we’ll begin.
Find the Relief You Deserve
If you recognized yourself anywhere on this page, that recognition counts for more than it feels like it does. It's what comes before anything else moves.
Email me at traci@bessiescreekcounseling.com, or send a message through my Psychology Today profile, and tell me a little about what brought you here. I'd be glad to do this part with you.
Find the relief you deserve by requesting an appointment today.
Request an Appointment
Online sessions for adults anywhere in Texas.