For many of us making the decision to come to counseling is difficult. Oftentimes, it occurs after we have been unable to find a solution to our challenges and struggles. When this happens, we have usually come to the realization that we want our life to look different, and we want to understand the ways in which we need to grow and change.

While change is important and is indeed what many of us are seeking from counseling, I believe that coming to terms with ourselves, and our lives, is often a precursor to change. This means that therapy is a process that helps us learn to accept who we are – the good and the not so good qualities and desires that we all possess and that make us human.

I approach my work from a psychodynamic and relational perspective. Meaning that, I understand our problems as being rooted in our family of origins, attachments, and current and present relationships with others. I view the therapeutic relationship as key to understanding my clients, the problems that brought them to therapy, and I use the insights that I discover alongside them to help clients better understand themselves.

Depending on your goals, our work may lead us into deep conversations regarding your past relationships, experiences, and traumas or it may not. I believe you have the autonomy to decide what type of support you are needing, and what kind of healing you are seeking. Regardless of how exploratory or solution-focused our work becomes, my goal is to assist you in finding meaning and making progress towards those aspects of your life which are most important to you. It is through this process that we will work together on helping you own who you are, attain the changes you envision, and become the person you want to be.

Specialties:
Anxiety, Depression, Self-Esteem Issues, Relational Issues, OCD, Men's Issues, Trauma, Life Transitions and Adjustment Issues

Client Focus:
College Students, Adults

Accepted Payment Methods:
Private Pay

Degree/s:
Ph.D., in Counseling Psychology, Texas A&M University
M.A., in Counseling Psychology, Texas A&M International University
B.S., in Kinesiology with a minor in Psychology, Texas A&M International University

Email Address:
luisponte@oakwoodroots.com