Kathy Van Dusen

I am a graduate of Texas State University. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor. I provide counseling services for individuals, and couples who struggle with substance abuse, trauma, grief/loss, stress, relationship issues, and conflicts. I help people understand thinking patterns and ways of coping which continue to produce problems in their lives. I invite a person to explore alternative ways of thinking which could provide them better methods to handle difficult situations. I believe change takes place within a person when an event or series of events interferes with a person’s capacity to live a responsible, productive life and invites an individual to explore their thoughts and beliefs about various circumstances in their lives. Identification of thought patterns can encourage a person to examine what actions they take based on these thoughts and beliefs. Identification of the origin of beliefs and the purpose they served can be a helpful tool to help a person identify what they want to change about themselves. The importance of changing thoughts is examined to speculate what action it produces and how the direction of a person’s life can change. Making a commitment to therapy can be a big challenge. Overcoming some of the myths such as therapy is for people who are weak and it’s too expensive to add to the challenge. It can be difficult to share your life struggles with another person but taking an opportunity to get an outside view can give a new perspective on how to handle various life events. The willingness to explore alternative ways of thinking can help establish a new belief system to help a person understand the choices they make in life. Hope and empathy become important components in the therapeutic relationship. I encourage individuals to establish skills to become their own therapist.