Our Counselors

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Sandra is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with nearly 10 years of experience in mental health services. Born and raised in the Crossroads area, she is deeply committed to serving her local community and supporting individuals on their journey toward improved mental well-being. Sandra has been in private practice since 2022, providing compassionate, client-centered care. She earned her Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in 2013 and her Master of Counseling Psychology in 2017 from the University of Houston–Victoria, staying true to her hometown roots.

Throughout her career, she has worked with children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of settings, including individual therapy, family and group therapy, support groups, case management, residential and outpatient treatment facilities, intensive outpatient programs, and higher education as an adjunct psychology instructor.

Over time, Sandra has developed a strong clinical focus as a trauma-informed therapist. She is passionate about working with individuals who have experienced trauma, victimization, and other life-altering challenges, helping them process their experiences and move toward healing in a safe, supportive environment.

Sandra utilizes a variety of evidence-based treatment modalities to support clients experiencing emotional distress and mental health challenges. Her approach includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Her work focuses on helping individuals build self-worth, process past experiences, and strengthen the mind–body connection. Sandra incorporates techniques such as inner child work, mindfulness and meditation, assertiveness training, mood regulation, anxiety reduction, and empowerment strategies, all aimed at promoting balance, resilience, and overall well-being.

Sandra is known for her compassionate, empathetic, and authentic approach to counseling. She focuses on building a trusting, respectful relationship with each client, creating a safe space for healing and growth.

She truly believes in the power of counseling and the hope it can bring. Sandra is passionate about helping clients work through challenges, find clarity, and move forward with confidence. Sandra provides virtual therapy, making it easy and convenient to access support from the comfort of your own space.

If you are struggling with strong emotions, difficult relationships, feeling stuck, or worrying about the past or future, Sandra is here to help. To get started, call Evergreen Counseling at 361-210-6898 or email sandra@evergreencounselor.com today.

Hello. My name is Joseph. I am a licensed clinical social worker, and I see teenagers and adults for psychotherapy. 

Education

Bachelor of Arts, Sociology/Psychology Texas A&M- CC, 2005

Master of Social Work, Texas State University, 2012

Doctor of Psychology, California Southern, 2024

Practice Philosophy & Worldview Alignment

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Doctorate in Psychology (PsyD), I operate from a Christian worldview, grounded in the conviction that faith and reason are complementary truths. Rather than imposing a secular template, my practice utilizes an emic ("insider’s") approach: we begin with a spiritual or theistic baseline and integrate evidence-based psychological science—specifically Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy, Attachment Theory, and Positive Psychology—to support that foundation. 

To honor your specific worldview, individual care is structured around two distinct, theistically grounded tracks:  

Track 1: Christian Integrationist Model:  

Designed for clients of all Christian denominations. We begin with the Christian worldview as our foundational lens for Reality, Truth, Identity, and Purpose, utilizing traditional practices (prayer, scripture, sacraments, worship, the Daily Examen, Lectio Divina, silence and solitude, fasting, Sabbath rest, spiritual fellowship, mercy work, virtues, and service) alongside modern clinical tools and the framework of redemptive suffering to support your walk of faith, restoration, and growth. Notably, a substantial body of research supports the role of traditional Christian practices in reducing psychological distress and enhancing well-being.  

Track 2: General Psycho-Spiritual Model: 

Designed for clients outside the Christian tradition who hold a general theistic belief (a belief in God or a higher power). We build our therapeutic work directly upon your specific faith tradition to explore divine meaning, values, and personal flourishing.

Disclosure for Non-Theistic / Secular Care: 

Because both primary frameworks are anchored in a theistic foundation, strictly secular, materialist, or atheistic treatment sits outside my standard scope of practice. If you are seeking a process that avoids spiritual or metaphysical questions entirely, your care will be adapted to a purely secular application of clinical science, or I can provide a referral to a fully secular specialist.

Modern Clinical Approaches

1. Narrative Therapy:

We examine the core stories that shape your identity and dictate how you view your past, present, and future.

• For Christian Clients: We help you locate your personal experiences within God’s grand story. We work to re-author these narratives to align with God's Truth, affirming your identity in Christ and grounding your value, morality, meaning, and purpose in Him as the Grand Author.
• For General Theistic Clients: We examine how your personal history shapes your current reality. We work to re-author narratives so they align with your core values and your specific belief in a Higher Power, allowing you to view your life story as one of divinely supported purpose and resilience.

2. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT):

We cultivate psychological flexibility to help you navigate difficult thoughts, painful emotions, and life transitions without becoming stuck.

• For Christian Clients: We focus on moving away from unhelpful mental patterns and toward virtue- and value-driven action, fully contextualized by God's presence, commands, and grace.
• For General Theistic Clients: We focus on accepting what cannot be changed and pivoting toward virtue- and value-driven action that honors your specific belief in a divine order and your personal accountability to a Higher Power.

3. Attachment Theory: 

We explore how your earliest relational bonds shape your psychological safety, boundaries, and connections today.

• For Christian Clients: We focus on healing deep emotional wounds by strengthening a secure, trusting attachment to God, others, and yourself, replacing fear or avoidance with spiritual intimacy.
• For General Theistic Clients: We work to heal historical relational wounds, restoring your ability to build secure, healthy connections with those around you while strengthening your foundational trust in a supportive Higher Power.

4. Positive Psychology: 

We shift the focus from simply managing symptoms or “fixing what is broken" to actively cultivating human flourishing and psychological endurance.

• For Christian Clients: We focus on developing theological and moral virtues consistent with your faith, allowing your trials to foster deep spiritual maturity and Christ-like character.
• For General Theistic Clients: We identify and build upon your core,      God-given character strengths and virtues, helping you process suffering      in a way that leads to genuine Post-Traumatic Growth and purposeful      flourishing.

Publications:

My doctoral dissertation involved developing a model of Christian Narrative Therapy.

https://www.academia.edu/128570462/Toward_an_Emic_Christian_Worldview_Approach_to_Narrative_Therapy

Licensure

Texas LCSW # 57483 (initial licensure 2013)

I look forward to being part of your story. Please call me at 361-210-6898 for an appointment, or you may email me at 

joseph@evergreencounselor.com