HOW WE WORK · INDIVIDUAL AND COUPLES THERAPY · KATY, TX
Therapeutic Approaches
Feeling Better does not come in One - Size - Fits - All.
Jill draws from a range of evidence-based methods — choosing what fits you, not just what fits a diagnosis. With a Masters degree in Marriage & Family Therapy plus over twenty-years of continued training and experience, she has a full toolbox to use with clients. Jill rarely uses just one modality — most clients benefit from a combination that's built around their specific situation, goals, progress and how they respond to different ways of working.
Here's a plain-language look at the approaches she uses and what each one is good for.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Often people recognize uncomfortable feelings (physical symptoms or distressing emotions) before they become aware of what they are thinking about. However, it is our cognitive thoughts that actually trigger these uncomfortable feelings; these feelings then impact our actions / behaviors. This is known as the Cognitive Model which is the basis for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the most well-researched and most commonly used approaches for therapy. It works by helping you identify the thought patterns that fuel anxious feelings and drive our behaviors. CBT is strategy-based and equips you with practical tools to change these faulty messages. This isn't about positive thinking. It's about learning to examine your thoughts clearly, challenge the ones that aren't serving you, and respond to stress differently over time. Most people leave sessions with practical and effective skills they can actually use for multiple concerns.
Good for: Anxiety, Depression, Perfectionism, Worry, Stress, Low Self-esteem, Negative self-talk
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
ART is not traditional talk therapy; it is a brain-body approach. ART helps your brain reprocess difficult memories so they no longer carry the same emotional charge. Unlike traditional talk therapy, you don't need to describe your experience in detail. Each session is a stand-alone session that ends on a positive note, so clients leave feeling relaxed. Many clients experience meaningful relief from their symptoms in just 2–5 sessions.
Good for: Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, Distressful memories, Gaining clarity, Codependency, Perfectionism, Medical Anxiety, Workplace stress and trauma
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT offers a structured set of skills for tolerating distress, managing intense emotions, and staying grounded when things feel overwhelming. Jill integrates DBT skills — not the full program — as a practical addition when emotions run high or situations feel unmanageable.
Good for: Emotional intensity, distress tolerance, relationship conflict
The Gottman Method for Couples Therapy
Jill incorporates many Gottman resources in her work with couples. Developed from decades of research on what makes relationships work, the Gottman Method gives couples a practical framework for improving communication, managing conflict, and deepening connection. It's concrete, evidence-based, and built around what actually predicts relationship success.
Good for: Couples, communication breakdown, conflict cycles
Relational Life Therapy (RLT)
Developed by Terry Real, RLT is a direct, skills-based approach to couples work. It focuses on breaking the patterns — withdrawal, reactivity, resentment — that keep couples stuck, and teaching both partners how to show up with more honesty and connection. RLT doesn't shy away from hard truths and does not require the therapist to maintain "neutrality." Jill is going to call it like it is to help couples move forward.
Good for: Couples, entrenched conflict, emotional disconnection
Family Systems Therapy and Attachment Theory
Family Systems theory recognizes that the patterns we grew up with don't stay in the past — they show up in how we relate to others today. This approach helps you understand those patterns clearly and make more intentional choices about how you want to show up in relationships.
Good for: Relationship patterns, family conflict, life transitions
Attachment theory examines how our earliest bonds become the blueprint for how we relate as adults — influencing how we handle conflict, how close we let people get, and what we do when relationships feel threatening. Understanding your attachment style brings those patterns into focus: why you pull away, why you pursue, why the same argument keeps happening. For many people it's also where generational patterns become visible — the ways of relating that were handed down without anyone realizing it.
Good for: Relationship patterns, couples work, self-awareness, breaking cycles, generational trauma
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS is based on the idea that we all have different "parts" — the inner critic, the people-pleaser, the part that shuts down under stress. Rather than fighting those parts, IFS helps you understand them and find more balance from a place of calm and clarity inside yourself.
Good for: Self-criticism, inner conflict, trauma, anxiety
Not sure which approach is right for you?
You don't need to figure that out before scheduling. Jill will work with you to understand what you're dealing with, identify your goals and develop a plan that best fits you.