Adult Psychotherapy
Both Kathryn and Mark work with adult clients and approach their work from a collaborative and supportive mindset.
We most frequently work with adults who are coping with issues such as:
We view therapy as a co-constructed process, with the focus being on the creating an affirming and nurturing space where clients can explore their concerns, reflect on aspects of themselves and their lives, and expect to be treated with kindness, respect, and honesty.
As professionals we have a strong commitment to diversity in a broad sense, and strive to stay multiculturally-informed, so we can bring cultural humility into our personal and professional connections with others.
In addition to being in private practice since 2002, Mark has also been employed at the University of Texas at Austin’s Counseling and Mental Health Center since 1997. Because of his employment at UT-Austin, he is unable to see current UT-Austin students in his private practice.
“Courage is more exhilarating than fear, and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down.”
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Parenting Support
Kathryn is a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Parent Educator http://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri, a Registered Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator http://circleofsecurity.net, and a Certified Beyond Consequences Instructor www.beyondconsequences.com. She periodically provides parent consultation groups and parent training. She also works with parents on an individual basis regarding the challenges they are experiencing within their home. Her work with parents can be part of the family therapy process or separate from a therapy relationship.
Kathryn’s work with parents centers around the widely accepted knowledge that children who have experienced early childhood trauma or have neurosensory issues usually have underdeveloped emotional regulatory systems.
This means they typically have more behavior problems because it is very difficult for them to handle situations that are highly stimulating, disappointing, frustrating, confusing, or otherwise emotionally intense. When these children surpass their level of stress tolerance, they will become dysregulated, and their behavior regresses to that of a much younger child. When this happens, it is imperative that the stress be interrupted by providing a calm, regulated environment with a calm, regulated adult.
More punitive measures (i.e., yelling, threatening, removing privileges, etc.) will only make the child more dysregulated because these interventions increase the child’s fear. The parent must do their best to “connect” with the child even during these periods of emotional dysregulation. This does NOT mean that the parent backs down and “gives in” to the child’s demands. But it does mean that the parent stays with the child and works to regulate him/her through their presence.
Discipline Strategies that Work
Discipline Strategies that do NOT Work
Kathryn provides parent coaching and/or guidance for parents based on her experiences of putting various parenting modalities (TBRI, Beyond Consequences, Circle of Security) into practice.
Much focus is placed on understanding the individual and relationship needs of each child within the family system. Individual therapy for parents is also available for parents who are interested in looking at how their own past or belief systems may be affecting their parenting.