Meet our
Our counselors in Denton, TX.
Katie Benoit and Winslow work with adults experiencing transition or conflict in their life as well as couples needing to improve conflict and communication.
If you are looking to breathe easier, click below to set up a free 15 minute phone consultation or intake appointment with me.
It’s getting harder and harder to get out of bed and face the day. You are tired of fighting. Tired of fighting to have a different type of relationship. Tired to working to make everyone around you happy. Tired to neglecting your own needs, feelings, and desires. Tired of making yourself smaller. You feel guilt when you take time for yourself and feel overwhelmed with the demands. In your relationship, you wonder if what you are asking for is fair. You are scared to bring it up because it may lead to a fight. You think, “Maybe I shouldn’t complain,” and “It’s probably not that bad.” Difficult memories and feelings come to the surface more and more, and you aren’t sure how to handle it all on your own. You find yourself withdrawing and isolating more and more. You are sick and tired of being sick and tired and ready for a change. You want to feel good about your life again.
I support my clients in navigating the complexities of living with anxiety, depression, trauma, and other mental health struggles in the midst of all that life throws at us. I work with couples looking to improve their communication, connection, and intimacy in their relationship. I encourage clients to take stock of their own values, and how these values can aid them in cultivating a meaningful lie even when things are especially difficult. I help individuals and couple break patterns from the past. I use a wellness oriented approach to support individual clients in building a balanced life they desire and enjoy integrating creativity and mind-body work into session. For couples, I also integrate the research-based Gottman Method of couples therapy. I am supportive yet challenging with both individual clients and couples in order to help clients move into the change they want for their lives. My dog, Winslow, will join us for sessions to provide emotional support.
Katie Benoit, LPC
Sarah Allen is a licensed chemical Dependency counselor and an LPC-Associate whose expertise includes first responders, couples, and alternative lifestyles.
Something has been off lately. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but you can tell. Your relationships just haven’t been the same anymore. More snapping. Less talking. Disconnection.
You have a thankless job with long hours and try to juggle it all. When your head hits the pillow, your mind doesn’t turn off and your sleep is restless. You hide it well by laughing loudly, masking feelings of shame, cynicism, anger, guilt, sadness, and even fear.
Sometimes the nightmares and memories you’ve packed away are bothering you. You’ve started pouring more to drink at night or finding ways to distract yourself. You’d rather eat nails than accept, much-less seek out, help but now is the time.
I accept people for who and where they are in their life. We all have a journey and struggles. I believe that you are the best person to know and find solutions for yourself, but I will challenge you as well. Together we will work to uncover and amplify your inner strength by building new solutions for your life.
Sarah Allen, LPC Associate
Supervised by Cyndi Doyle, LPC-S #14584
April Grissom works with adolescents and adults struggling with isolation, depression, and self-worth.
Something seems different with your kid. That bubbly carefree nature they once had seems to be slipping away. You know moving into ‘tween and teen stages can be tough, but this seems a little different. They are talking negatively about themselves, and you notice their self-worth slipping. They have said things about you not loving them as much as their siblings and even seem more aggressive toward them. Grades are starting to slip, and you notice the friends they are connecting with are different. You see them isolating. You’ve reached out, asked what’s wrong, and tried to connect only to get the answer, “I’m fine. Leave me alone.” You feel like your kid is slipping away.
Maybe as an adult, you realize that you were that child. You believed that you could not say what you needed or felt because your sibling NEEDED the attention from you parents. You sacrificed. You sacrificed your needs, took care of yourself, learned not to lean on people, and maybe even endured situations at home to protect the other kids. What you want most is to feel love and acceptance. You want to feel reconnected to yourself and connected with others. You want to understand what is in your way of greater self-awareness and be able to move forward.
If you are ready to identify the wounds impeding your growth and move into your own personal happiness, I would love to work with you. My style is compassionate and warm, but humor is a trademark of my therapeutic style. Let’s work together to clear out the shame and judgement, understand the feelings you are experiencing, and move you toward to greater self-awareness, acceptance, and joy.
April Grissom, LPC
Natalie has expertise in regard to grief in all aspects of life including ending of relationships.
Natalie Garcia, LPC, NCC, Board Certified Counselor
You are tired of being someone you are not. Tired of pretending you have it all together so that others do not find out your secrets and shame. You tend to feel guilt, talk to yourself in a negative way, and struggle with insecurity. Relationships with family or others tend to be difficult which at times leads to anxiety and disconnecting from yourself of others. Sometimes you may think, “I don’t deserve ‘it’”.
Change is scary. What you want most is some emotional relief. I provide a safe, non-judgmental space to do just that. I meet you where you are without an agenda. My only rules are that I get to point out inconsistencies, to care more about you than you do yourself for one hour, and when you permit me, push you. Together we will explore what is holding you back and what will lead to your own acceptance, relief, and confidence.
Kayla specializes in helping others heal from trauma, connect with their bodies, and have fulfilled relationships
You feel disconnected from yourself and others. Relaxation seems like a distant fever dream and you’d rather eat glass than spend a minute being still in your body. Reframing negative thoughts, counting to ten, and downloading countless meditation apps haven’t helped your feelings of isolation and distress.
Sometimes, talk therapy alone isn’t enough for people to process their emotions and experiences. I help my clients regulate their nervous systems and feel a sense of relief through trauma-informed body-based approaches. I use EMDR, somatic experiencing, and psycho-therapeutic yoga (no flexibility required) to help clients reconnect with their bodies and heal from their heaviest burdens.
I strive to create a space of acceptance, kindness, understanding, and warmth. Make yourself comfortable! Grab a blanket, kick off your shoes, and have some chocolate. I invite you to bring your whole self into the therapy room. So, yes, you can lie down on the couch, memes are welcome in session, and I would love to see a picture of your dog any time.
Kayla White, LPC, CCTP, RYT-200
Jay specializes in working with a variety of groups struggling to move through trauma, especially first responders, exposure to traumatic material, couples, LGBTQIA+, and those struggling with religious trauma.
You know all the right things to do, exercise, fun activities, spending time with friends and family, but something is still wrong. You feel like you should be enjoying time with your loved ones but can’t figure out why you don’t. You wonder where the “you” you used to know has gone. You don’t know who you are outside of who you love or what you do. You know what you’re required to do but not what you want to do.
You started your career with the belief that you would make a difference in the broken system only to realize that you are now feeling broken. You want to protect those that you love but all you have left when you get home is the worst version of you or nothing at all.
You were able to move through the critical incident just fine but something more mundane has sent you spiraling. You don’t know why, and you feel weak. You don’t want to tell others because it doesn’t seem that serious but it’s the thing that is impacting you. Memories long forgotten have started intruding into your life, changing the way you interact with others or your choices.
You’ve lost your family or a whole community. Everyone is calling you brave for not hiding but deep down you are still afraid. You know in your head you have nothing to be ashamed about but the messages you heard and were given zoom right past your rational mind and you struggle to excise the shame.
After years of loyalty to everyone but yourself, you are feeling betrayed by others around you, your family, your spouse, your administration, or even your calling. You thought you were building something together. You sacrificed for that vision and now it seems like an illusion. You don’t know what you have left to rebuild with.
You want to wake up excited again. Feel your vitality back. Feel strong on the inside. Kick the imposter aside and stop feeling like a fraud. Trust in yourself to make the right decision and know when you make mistakes you have the resilience to bounce back. If you are ready to choose the scar over the infected wound, let’s work together.
Jay Krenek, LPC
Claudia Gonzalez Smith is a bilingual counselor specializing in working with individuals moving through transitions including teens, young adults and adults.
I guide individuals through the intricacy of life's transitions. It can be daunting to go through transitions, whether they involve educational pursuits, personal life adjustments, relationship dynamics, or the grieving process. You can feel lost, confused, alone, anxious, and depressed even when it is a transition that you WANT to make. I have guided students and parents through these processes for years as a school counselor.
What sets me apart is my unique ability to connect with individuals through a cultural lens, recognizing the diverse backgrounds and experiences that shape one's life. I take immense pride in representing the mental health community as a minority counselor. I understand the significance of offering culturally sensitive and inclusive counseling services and acknowledging the unique challenges that may arise due to cultural identity. I strive to empower my clients to navigate their transitions with resilience, self-discovery, and a renewed sense of purpose. My ultimate goal is to not only assist them in overcoming immediate challenges but also to equip them with the tools needed to thrive throughout their journey of personal growth and transformation.
Claudia Gonzalez Smith, LPC Associate / Supervised by Monya Crow, LPCS
Brandy Stiles loves to challenge clients on their beliefs and work with those who woke up one day and realized their life was not what they wanted or are feeling stuck. In addition, she is part of the LGBTQ+ Community and specializes in both teens and adults who identify as such.
Brandy Stiles, LPC-S
I connect with adolescents and adults that are struggling with big life changes, choices, and feeling trapped in their current situation. You feel like you can’t make decisions. Constant negative cycle of voices in your head. You’re lonely becoming resentful toward everybody. You struggle to forgive yourself and others. You believe that nothing is ever going to change. You envy other lives and idealize them. Many times you may feel you are too busy surviving to think about thriving! You realize the crap from your past is holding you back in some way and you’re stuck!
We all fall down and I get to the core quickly to help you get back up. I’m honest, genuine, and real with you. I’m a fighter and I will fight with you and for you to have the life you want. I will help you dig in and unpack the stuff you don’t want to unpack but desperately need to because it holds you back from being the person you want to be!
Cyndi Doyle is an expert in law enforcement mental health and relationship issues. She also .loves of helping people move through anxiety, helping other helpers, high achievers get out their own way, and high conflict couples find intimacy.
I love to work with people that can see the life they want but are struggling to do so. Maybe it’s the overwhelming anxiety of failure, people pleasing, perfection, that nasty negative head trash in your head, or you just shut down. You get inspired but fail to execute over and over. Something is getting in your way! Maybe it’s a relationship that you badly want or want back. You want to connect and feel the intimacy but something is blocking you from experiencing the joy with your partner. There has been past pain and struggles with communication. Forgiveness is hard and with it there is resentment for your partner or the relationship.
You’ve tried counseling and therapy before but you missed something or stalled out. Let’s get you unstuck! If you are looking for a therapist that is kind but direct, that will challenge you, insist on doing work outside of the therapy room, and that you may even not like every now and then because I help you to see something you don’t want to, I’m your person. I enjoy working intensely with my clients so they can see progress and results!
I have a special passion for Law Enforcement officers and their spouses. As a law enforcement spouse myself, I have made it my mission to become an expert on law enforcement culture, mental health related issues, and relationships and have been recognized in the Law Enforcement for my knowledge and expertise. Check out Cyndi’s Code4Couples website for more information about her expertise with First Responders or her podcast or her book Hold the Line: The Essential Guide to Protecting Your Law Enforcement Relationship.
