Denise Pounds, Amarillo Therapist
Hi, I’m Denise Pounds and I’m excited you have found my page. I have been a Licensed Professional Counselor in Amarillo since 1994. I love working with individuals and couples and helping them transform their lives. I realize it takes a great deal of courage to decide to begin the counseling process, to walk into my office, and to explore difficult issues. I hope to make the process as comfortable as possible for you. I strive to provide a safe, supportive, and confidential environment for adults struggling with a variety of issues such as depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, and relationships. During the fast pace of life, it is sometimes challenging to find someone who will just stop and listen. As I listen to your story, I will help you slow down and connect with your thoughts and emotions that may be affecting your daily life in a negative way. This helps you be able to connect to your own emotions and become more connected in your relationships.
When I first started working, I worked with children and adolescents. I worked with them in both outpatient and inpatient therapy settings including addiction recovery centers, juvenile probation, and the juvenile detention center. I found that many of the issues they faced were a result of their home environment. It became very clear to me that stabilizing the marriage helps everyone in the home, not just the couple. So at that point, I shifted my counseling focus to include more couples therapy. It is rewarding to watch couples reconnect after they have been struggling and see the entire family stabilize. I have found that relationships are the most powerful connection we encounter in our lives. It is in our relationships that we are most hurt, but is it also where we heal. I am committed to helping people heal their relationships and their own hearts. I’ve worked with several different types of marriage therapy, but I am most excited about Emotionally Focused Therapy. I continually train, grow, and seek consultation in this researched based therapy. For the couple, this therapy provides an experience that increases understanding of each individual and their protective behavior, and improves communication. In doing so it creates a greater emotional connection for the couple. No one is the “bad guy”. Both sides of the couple’s story is of equal importance. I often hear couples are hesitant to begin counseling because one of th3e partners expects to be “blamed”. With EFT this does not happen.
Through my work with marriages, I have found that sometimes couples are “stuck” because one or both of the spouses is dealing with trauma. Out of a need to help resolve trauma more successfully, I began Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR certification training. I am excited about the changes I have seen in the lives of people after experiencing EMDR therapy. I am now a Consultant-in-Training to begin to help other therapists in the area learn this trauma therapy.
LICENSE
- Licensed Professional Counselor TX #14463 1997-current
THERAPY CERTIFICATIONS
- Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist
- EMDRIA Certified Therapist – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (IATP)
- Trauma-Sensitive HeartMath Certified Practitioner
ADDITIONAL TRAINING
- Trained in LENS Neurofeedback, Part I & II
- EMDRIA Consultant-in-Training
- Neurofeedback training and supervision
- Biofeedback training and supervision
ASSOCIATIONS
