Charles Bellows

If you're carrying something heavy — a trauma you haven't been able to put down, anxiety that won't let up, depression, grief, or the stress of a health condition that's changed your life — I'd be glad to help. I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor, and my path here wasn't a straight line: I spent years in blue-collar telecommunications and two decades in education before going back to school. I graduated from Lubbock Christian University in 2016 with a master's in human services and ministry, and again in 2019 with master's degrees in clinical mental health counseling and educational counseling. Since 2019 I've worked in private practice, group homes, schools, and telemedicine. Growing up in Fort Worth and the rural communities around it shaped how I work — plain-spoken, practical, and without a lot of clinical distance.

Having grown up in Fort Worth and the rural communities around it, my style is a lot like the old "country doctor" approach — direct, practical, and without much ceremony. I use evidence-based practices with a wide body of proof behind them, primarily cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), along with solution-focused work and motivational interviewing. My goal, honestly, is to work myself into unemployment: I want you to walk away with the skills to handle life on your own, not to need me indefinitely.

Our first session is mostly about understanding what's bringing you in and setting goals aimed at better adaptability and day-to-day functioning. I think of myself as a human GPS — you've got the destination in mind, I'm here to suggest some routes, but at the end of the day you're in the driver's seat. There's no pressure to have anything figured out before you sit down; that's part of what we'll sort out together.