Monica K. DeLeon

Hi! I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in Texas. I received my Masters in Counseling and have been practicing for approximately 12 years. I have experience working with various age groups (from adolescents to adults), in different settings (outpatient and in controlled environments), and I am driven to helping others find their sense of identity and empowerment through the struggles they have faced. Oftentimes we wonder why we do some of the things we do. Initially, we may forget that our thoughts and feelings drive our actions. My work focuses on being able to recognize achievements, behavior patterns, and thinking errors. I prefer to incorporate approaches based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I have found CBT as a helpful method that can help us understand how our perceptions, or interpretations, of certain situations are those that cause distress, that then influence our responses. When our inner child is reminded of a wound that created extreme pain, such as grief, I have found that returning to how healing the inner child becomes successful. When we forget to care and pay attention to him/her, we're quickly reminded of how important it is to frequently care for them, allowing for their wounds to heal, rather than remain scarred. Anxiety can create a roller coaster of emotions based on our thinking, IF we allow it. I believe we all work hard to manage a level of anxiety that takes mindful thinking. I have found that offering challenges for you is most successful as I want you to be able to gradually gain a sense of empowerment. You alone are the best guide at knowing how far you are open and willing to accepting those challenges. I am an advocate for utilizing positive self-care. I believe we frequently neglect ourselves when our whole self is ultimately the priority. Healthy living not only starts with managing our thinking. I want to help you find ways you can discipline yourself to utilizing positive, and healthy coping skills as a means of taking care of you. I am driven to helping others effectively, and successfully, change their lives. I truly believe when you make time and invest the energy to allowing yourself to grow, succeed, and acknowledge all that you are capable of...it is priceless.