Gabriela Duncan

I’m a clinical social worker licensed in Texas and Washington, with experience working with adults from many different backgrounds and stages of life. I especially enjoy working with people navigating anxiety, trauma, stress, relationships, major life transitions, and questions of meaning or direction. I also have experience working with veterans and military communities. Above all, I believe therapy should respect who you are, what matters to you, and where you want your life to go.

My approach is warm, collaborative, practical, and trauma-informed. I draw from ACT, DBT, CPT, psychodynamic therapy, and mindfulness, but I don’t believe in forcing people into a particular treatment model. Sometimes we’ll explore patterns and past experiences; sometimes we’ll practice concrete skills or work with difficult thoughts and emotions. I’ll explain what I’m suggesting and why, and we’ll regularly check whether what we’re doing is actually useful to you. Humor is also welcome when it comes naturally; therapy can take difficult things seriously without always feeling heavy.

Our first session is primarily about getting to know each other. I’ll want to understand what brought you to therapy, what has been happening in your life, what you hope might change, and what has or hasn’t helped before. You don’t need to arrive with perfectly defined goals or know exactly where to begin. We’ll start making sense of things together and discuss what might be most useful going forward. I also want you to have a chance to get a feel for me and decide whether I’m the right therapist for you.