Book a therapist or psychiatrist in Killeen, TX covered by Cigna

What I want my clients to know about me is that I genuinely believe therapy should feel like a space where you can exhale. Life can be overwhelming, and many people spend so much time trying to hold everything together that they rarely have a place where they feel fully seen, understood, and supported without judgment. My goal is to create that space for you.

I approach therapy with compassion, honesty, and collaboration. I don’t believe clients need to be “fixed.” I believe people often need support understanding themselves more deeply, healing from painful experiences, and learning healthier ways to navigate life, relationships, stress, and emotions. I work alongside my clients to help them reconnect with their values, build emotional resilience, and move toward a life that feels more authentic and fulfilling. (Headway)

My style is warm and supportive, but also practical. I want therapy to feel meaningful and useful, not like a place where you simply vent without growth. I often incorporate approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients recognize patterns that keep them stuck while building healthier coping skills and greater self-awareness.

I also understand how difficult it can be to ask for help in the first place. Many clients come into therapy carrying shame, self-doubt, anxiety, trauma, or the pressure of trying to meet everyone else’s expectations while neglecting their own needs. I strive to meet clients exactly where they are emotionally and help them feel safe enough to be honest about what they’re experiencing — even the parts they may have never shared out loud before.

You do not have to have everything figured out before you start. You simply have to be willing to show up as yourself, and we can work through the rest together.

https://care.headway.co/providers/alyssa-mccarley?utm_source=pem&utm_medium=direct_link&utm_campaign=181444

If your child is having big feelings, behavior changes, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, depression, or challenges in relationships, you may be feeling overwhelmed and unsure what to do next. I work with young children, adolescents, and caregivers to help children feel more connected, understood, and supported. My specialty is early childhood mental health, with a focus on children from birth to age 12. I use play therapy, sandtray therapy, EMDR, and parent support to help children process difficult experiences, build emotional regulation, and strengthen relationships at home.

I have spent more than 25 years supporting young children and caregivers in settings focused on development, behavior, attachment, and trauma. Over the past several years, I have also served as a Mental Health Consultant, providing assessment-informed interventions and therapeutic support grounded in Child-Centered Play Therapy. My work is warm, relationship-focused, and developmentally appropriate. My goal is to help children and families feel safe, supported, and able to move toward healing.

I have a depth of experience as a clinical school social worker for over 18 years. Prior to school social work and private practice, I worked in residential treatment, inpatient treatment and juvenile probation. The majority of my 20+ year career has been working with pre-teens, adolescents and their families. I love working with parents as they navigate raising kids!

Most recently, I have been working more with college aged busy moms and professionals. I also love working with high performing athelets.

For the past 16 years I have also supervised Masters level, clinical social work students. I also provide supervision for those working towards their LCSW.

My husband and I are busy raising our three young children. Being a parent is the greatest joy and there is no other role I rather be in.

Welcome! I am so glad you found me. I am a highly trained therapist who works with children and adolescents ages 3-18 as well as young adults and parents. I received my undergraduate degree from Dallas Baptist University and my Masters in Counseling from the University of North Texas. I am an LPC, a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas. I have also worked with foster and adoptive children and their families and I am trauma-informed as well having a broad range of experience in education. I have two therapy dogs who often join me in sessions. George is an experienced helper while Charolette is still a puppy in training. I have been working with children for over 20 years.

Being a teenager can feel overwhelming. You might be juggling school, work, relationships, family expectations, and trying to understand who you are—all at the same time. Some days, it can feel like too much. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, life transitions, or feeling lost or disconnected, we can work through it together at your pace. I also help with things like setting boundaries, building self-confidence, navigating identity, and improving your relationship with food and your body.

That inner pressure to be perfect or “have it all together” can be exhausting. Maybe your inner critic is loud, or you feel like you’re constantly falling short. Therapy is a space where you can take a break from that pressure, feel heard without judgment, and start to make sense of what’s going on inside.

I have my LPC-Licensed Professional Counselor and LMFT-Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor licenses. I have my Juris Doctorate and I am an expert in family law. My approach is collaborative, practical, and I make sure the client has something they can use to help themselves by the end of every session. I work with all types of clients, but mostly with adults, individually and as couples.

doing. I have been married, divorced, lived in other countries for several years and had a wide variety of life experiences that I draw on to help my clients.