About me

Welcome! I’m Whitney Hays. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas with 13 years of experience counseling and treating clients with psychological and behavioral disorders.

My focus areas include but are not limited to, helping individuals who are experiencing grief and loss, life transitional issues, self-compassion, mental illness, anxiety, and depression. I meet each and every client where they are and work with them to address their individual needs so that they can start living a more fulfilling life.

I use a client-centered approach when working with clients to create a comfortable and safe environment. I work with my clients to create an open and safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be shared without fear of judgment. I also incorporate other evidence-based theories such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Solution Based Therapy.

If you think I may be a good fit for your therapeutic needs, please contact me. I look forward to the possibility of assisting you in making positive and long lasting changes in your life.

Qualifications

  • Bachelors in Human Development and Family Studies, Texas Tech University, 2010

  • Masters in Counselor Education, 2012

  • 12 Years in Practice

Specialties

and Expertise

  • Addiction

  • Anger Management

  • Anxiety

  • Bipolar Disorder

  • Codependency

  • Coping Skills

  • Depression

  • Divorce

  • Drug Abuse

  • Dual Diagnosis

  • Family Conflict

  • Grief

  • Infertility

  • Life Transitions

  • Mood Disorders

  • Peer Relationships

  • Psychosis

  • Relationship Issues

  • School Issues

  • Self Esteem

  • Self-Harming

  • Stress

  • Substance Use

  • Trauma and PTSD

  • Women's Issues

Treatment Approach

Attachment-based (Attachment-based therapy is form of therapy that applies to interventions or approaches based on attachment theory, which explains how the relationship a parent has with its child influences development.)

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT) (Cognitive-behavioral therapy stresses the role of thinking in how we feel and what we do. It is based on the belief that thoughts, rather than people or events, cause our negative feelings. The therapist assists the client in identifying, testing the reality of, and correcting dysfunctional beliefs underlying his or her thinking. The therapist then helps the client modify those thoughts and the behaviors that flow from them. CBT is a structured collaboration between therapist and client and often calls for homework assignments. CBT has been clinically proven to help clients in a relatively short amount of time with a wide range of disorders, including depression and anxiety.)

Family / Marital (Family and Marital therapists work with families or couples both together and individually to help them improve their communication skills, build on the positive aspects of their relationships, and repair the harmful or negative aspects.)

Internal Family Systems (IFS) (Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an approach to psychotherapy that identifies and addresses multiple sub-personalities or families within each person’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of wounded parts and painful emotions such as anger and shame, and parts that try to control and protect the person from the pain of the wounded parts. The sub-personalities are often in conflict with each other and with one’s core Self, a concept that describes the confident, compassionate, whole person that is at the core of every individual. IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among the sub-personalities and the Self.)

Solution Focused Brief (SFBT) (Solution-focused therapy, sometimes called "brief therapy," focuses on what clients would like to achieve through therapy rather than on their troubles or mental health issues. The therapist will help the client envision a desirable future, and then map out the small and large changes necessary for the client to undergo to realize their vision. The therapist will seize on any successes the client experiences, to encourage them to build on their strengths rather than dwell on their problems or limitations.)

Trauma Focused (Trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) helps people who may be experiencing post-traumatic stress after a traumatic event to return to a healthy state.)

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