Phyllis Houston, LPC

Phyllis Houston is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who helps people navigate stress, anxiety, relationship strain, grief, and midlife changes. She brings a calm, practical presence and listens carefully to what matters most to each person. Phyllis aims to help clients feel clearer about choices and regain a sense of direction.

With 26 years of experience, she draws on approaches that focus on the person in front of her. Sessions are grounded in practical thinking and emotional connection. Phyllis encourages straightforward goal setting and small, manageable steps toward change.

Her style blends client-centered listening with cognitive-behavioral techniques to address unhelpful thinking patterns. She also uses emotionally-focused ideas to help people understand and shift relationship dynamics. Motivational interviewing is part of how she supports readiness for change.

Phyllis works with a wide range of concerns including trauma and abuse, parenting stress, caregiver strain, compassion fatigue, career questions, and issues around intimacy and commitment. She also helps people facing abandonment, divorce and separation, and challenges tied to aging.

In sessions she focuses on clear goals, practical tools, and thoughtful reflection. Conversations often include skill-building for coping, ways to manage strong emotions, and steps to improve communication. The aim is to leave people better able to handle daily pressures and life transitions.

People who choose Phyllis can expect a collaborative approach that balances empathy with concrete strategies. She helps clients turn insights into action and supports them as they try new ways of coping and relating.

How these approaches work in online therapy

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding a person's experience without judgment. It helps people feel heard, build self-awareness, and decide what changes matter most to them.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact. It teaches practical skills for spotting unhelpful thoughts and trying different actions to reduce anxiety or depression.

Emotionally-Focused Therapy aims to identify patterns in close relationships and shift how people respond emotionally. It can help with intimacy-related struggles and improving communication.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will talk with each person about goals and preferences, then suggest ways to try different methods. That collaboration helps match strategies to what feels most useful.

If you are considering online work, confirm the current session options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, allow for shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. Talk with the therapist about what will work best for scheduling and how to shape sessions around daily routines.