Speaker 1 (00:03):
Okay. I think I may need to stop. Okay. All right. All right. Well, hello, this is Rhonda ves with Illuminated Pathways Family Therapy, and, um, I am going to be introducing you someone to someone who’s an incredible person here at Illuminate Pathways. Um, but before we begin, I wanna tell you a little bit about who we are. Um, again, my name is Rhonda Elders. I’m an LPC supervisor with the state of Texas, and I’m the owner of, of, of this practice. And since 2015, um, my team has offered comprehensive mental health services to individuals from all walks of life in the Clear Lake area and, um, Conroe area. Now as of January, and in Missouri City as of February. And, uh, our group practices uses evidence-based treatment such as talk therapy, play therapy for children, and other proven methods like trauma-focused CBT, um, to help those who have had traumatic experiences.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Um, while these remain central to our care, recent personal experiences that have led me to reevaluate traditional approaches to mental health, such as, um, I’ve come to value a holistic view, whole body and mind and spirit, um, that helps us better address our unique needs, therapeutic options before considering medication and empowering others, those who come in here options before, and give them informed choices so that they know what’s available for them. And, uh, in your initial consultation, should you want one, uh, then you can call the office at (972) 768-0754, and you can schedule one with Min with one of our many counselors here. We take time to learn about what you’re seeking, and so we can recommend a therapist that suits you best. Your your preferences and goals are always at the heart of our care. We look forward to accompanying you on your mental health journey and are eager to support you in every step of the way.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
So how can we best serve you? Thank you so much for being with us today. Um, I am excited to introduce to you, um, duo Samo, and she is one of our newest, uh, counselors here. And we have just really grown to love her and the feedback from her actual patients that she has have also given great feedback. And so that really tells us that we’re a really good match. And so we’re really excited about that. Um, so share a while, like your, your career choice prior to counseling. What, what were you doing, um, before and, uh, and, and kinda share with us that experience.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Okay. Um, before I transitioned to counseling, I was a lawyer. I was called to <inaudible> in year 2006, and it’s been a journey till when I transitioned to counseling in 2021, you know, so it, it is been a, a, a journey, as I said earlier, because I wanted to be a lawyer, to have a background story, wanting to be a lawyer. When I gave my life to Christ, I was privileged to go to a church where you are asked to make a deliberate effort to ask God about your purpose in life. So I went asking God, and I felt God leading me to, um, talk to people about him, about marriage, about counseling and all that, to advise people basically. And the closest I could get in my country of origin, which is Nigeria, was to be a lawyer. And I went to be a lawyer, and I had a successful career.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
However, I noticed that when I, when people come to my Lord Chambers, they’ve had so many mistakes in the past. So I thought about it, that the family system, most of these problems stems from the family system. If the family system can be corrected, if people know what to do from the family system, the dad, the mom raising children, the, the, the marriage, if the marriage is working, it transitions to the children and to the society at large. So I thought about it, what could I do if I could counsel people from the family system? So I went back to become a licensed marriage and family therapist. And that has been a good thing because now I help marriages, I help people make good choices. I help them in parenting, like letting the skills to parent their children so that if the society is better for it as they all
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Very cool. So, so what sparked you into becoming a Christian, becoming a counselor was when you found Jesus?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
That’s wonderful. So, um, and, and that was in Nigeria? Yes.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
So give us that experience, your conversion.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Oh, okay. So I, I was in, um, what you call high school years, what we call it secondary school in Nigeria. So I was in high school, but I went to a boarding school. So in that boarding school, we have a fellowship. So this faithful day, someone was invited to that fellowship from our side, and that person told us about the love of Jesus. I have never added in that light, you know, that Jesus loved us to the extent of dying for us. I’ve always said it like Jesus died for us, but it didn’t make sense. But that day it made so much sense that Jesus loved me. I asked to die, but I said, no, don’t kill her. I’m going to die instead of her. And that’s made absolute sense because in my mind, I was thinking no one could have wanted to die for me. Someone took my place,
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
I sinned. And they said, no, I’m going to take her place. So that was profound for me. And, and, and because of that, I gave my life to Christ. There was a moment I was crying for my sin, but the next instance, I was joyful. I was jumping, and as in the transition was just, it was a stunt. Like I went as a sinner crying. I was sobbing for my sin. And the next stand I was joyful. It was as if I was washed, clean.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Well, well, the scripture talks about that, right? Yes, absolutely. He does wash us clean. I
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Experienced that.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
That’s moment, that one. Beautiful. Praise the Lord. I love that. Okay. How long have you been in the USA and and you, you had mentioned you’re from Nigeria, and that’s the country you grew up in. Yes. So how long have you been here?
Speaker 2 (06:42):
I’ve been here for over seven years now.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
And and where and where did you move directly to Houston, or where did you, where did your journey been in the us?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Okay, so I, we moved straight to in Kingsville, which is a, a city in, in Texas, Kingsville, Texas.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Kingsville, Texas,
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Kingsville. Yeah. Okay. So we moved to Kingsville, Texas, and because my husband came here to like, study, so, and our fire, um, he works in the oil and gas company in America Okay. In Nigeria.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
So yeah, he came to like further that part of his education. So, uh, that was what brought us, after I finished, we moved to Houston. So we’ve been in new since, since 2020. 2020. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
So is Kingsville West Texas? Where is Kingsville? I don’t even know.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Okay. So Kingsville is close, is close to Corpus Christi.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Oh, okay.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Yeah. So I don’t know whether it’s south or not the west, I dunno. But it’s close to like 30 minutes or thereabout from Kingsville, so,
Speaker 1 (07:43):
All right. Yeah. So, you know, um, being the best Christian counseling Texas has to offer knowing that you are from, or where you moved to Kingsville, which is near Corpus Christi. Yeah. You know, there’s opportunity. Maybe people could be listening and remember you and go, wow, I might need counseling. I might need her. Yeah. So that’s really a beautiful idea to, you know, ’cause we can, we can serve Texas as all Yes. Every,
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Everywhere in Texas.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Yes, absolutely. So that’s very nice. Um, and you know, I’ve been, you know, the, the, you know, we always talk about the ocean, the Gulf of America now, right? But like, you go to Galveston, the ocean’s not as beautiful. You go to Corpus and it’s pretty Right. So was that, what was that like? Do you go to the water often? Yes. What that, what was that like for you?
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Yeah, it was, it was all different. When I went to the one at, um, GAVA was like, why this is dirty. Like, I, you know, but that one was like, and was waving like, like have done wave, like you show with the take the gava. <inaudible> was like,
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Yeah,
Speaker 2 (08:45):
But this was really wavy and a little bit cleaner than
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Yeah. Well, you know, they always say, that’s kind of the way that we’re, we’re kind of have like a cove, and so it gets all washed in there. There are times I’ve actually seen a very clear light corpus. Ooh, not very often. Yeah. But I have seen it a few times. So I think, I think it’s when we get a really good storm and it washes everything out. Right. And so it’s really kind of actually like the next day or two, it’s really been pretty. Yeah. So, yeah. Very cool. So, um, UAO, you know, it’s wonderful, uh, that, uh, you, you showed up, uh, in an interview and, um, I, I really remember that first interview and, uh, was excited, um, to hear about your journey. Yeah. What was it that, um, had you choose IPFT?
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Okay, so, um, when I read on the website that this is a Christian counseling, and that resonates with me because first I’m a Christian, I’m a spirit being. So I want a place where I wanna come as a whole. I don’t wanna put my Christianity or my person at home and come do therapy. I won’t be sure enough for my clients as authentic as I want to be, because my, my Christian values are part of who I am. Yes. As I’m not imposing it on people, but I just don’t want to put that part, that part of me back. I’m not sure it authentically as I could. Right? Right. So, when I came here and we call it the Christian counseling, where Christ talking with you was like, oh, I was talking about, we were talking, we were talking about how Christ has impacted your life, how this is the place you wanna serve God yourself. That resonates with me. Like, this is what I wanna do. Right. I wanna help people because these are God’s people, and if they’re hurting, I wanna be a part of that healing journey.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
So, and you, I find you saying the same thing, that this is where God wanted to be. You wanna serve God. Lot of God people, even in counseling, that really resonates with me. And that’s what why I chose to be part of IPF
Speaker 1 (10:56):
To, to our, to our, to our business here. Yeah. So, um, we usually give it the IPFT, which is Illuminated Pathways Family Therapy. So sorry for the acronym, but maybe going forward we’ll say Illuminated Pathways and just cut it off and cut it off my way through. But, you know, when I, um, I have been a counselor working in the field since 2008, and I’ve been in different places where, um, you know, everywhere I’ve worked, uh, I’ve had my bible with me, and each of those locations that I worked at told me I had to take my Bible home. And I kind of was a little rebellious, and I didn’t take my Bible home because, you know, it, like she mentioned, uh, duo mentioned Christianity. Jesus, it’s part of who I am, right? So it’s like, I’m gonna walk into a room and do therapy with somebody.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
I’m gonna leave half of me out of the room, when really the whole of me is really what Jesus has done in my life. And so that’s what, when I walk into the room, you get the true Rhonda, if I have to leave part of me out, like it’s not gonna be authentic. And, and the people in front of me could see that. Like, and, and I had to be kind of careful about what I could say or not say in those other arenas. And so I didn’t like that. And so, um, although I did try to get around that, uh, the best I could, and, and many times people would tell me that they were faith-based and that they would really like to hear, or they would ask me questions. They knew something was different in my delivery. They had been in therapies before.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
So when I started Illuminated Pathways, I was also an associate pastor, um, at a Nazarene church in Webster, Texas. And, uh, I was able to go and Ritz space from the church. And so when I wasn’t being a pastor, I was able to go up to my therapy and begin practice. And so, uh, that idea just really was a beautiful thing. And not everybody that walks into our place, they’re Christian. Yeah. Uh, we take, we, we wanna, we wanna serve God’s people, right? Yeah. That means everybody. Yeah. Like there is no, this place is no judgment, right? Yeah. And it shouldn’t be. And if it is, then you talk to me <laugh> because that shouldn’t have happened, right? Yeah. And so we have people that are atheist or agnostic or they’re Wiccan and, and, and so we just meet them where they are. And so that is our goal.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
But if, if we are, we wanna be our true self though, right? And so our website’s pretty clear about who we are, and they still choose us. That’s what makes it special, that makes it feel like, you know, this is God’s business and <inaudible> and I get a pleasure of sitting in the chair to serve this, this community of people that walk through our door, every person has prayed for here before they walk in the door, whether we’ve seen you or not. And so we just want it to always be that environment for, for that you’ll experience the best Christian counseling Texas has to offer. And we want that to be your experience, as we know, it’s our experience. I know also last year we received a, um, a business rate, uh, I guess it’s Google business rate, uh, award. We’re in the top three of Harris County counseling centers.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
And, uh, that was very exciting to receive that. So then in January when we opened up Conroe up in Montgomery County, and then in February we opened up Missouri City’s office in, uh, Fort Bend County. And we are really excited to see what that looks like. So if you ever get the nudge or you would like to give us a Google Review and let us know how we did on this podcast, that would be great. And, uh, you can go find us on, on Google and, and see, um, about doing that. That’d be awesome. So as the best c Christian counseling Texas has to offer, what population of people do you see?
Speaker 2 (15:04):
Okay, so I see married couples, I see primary couples. I see, uh, teens. And, um, I, I see children 10 and above, so
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Okay. Children 10 and above. So obviously you are dual license too, right? Yes, yes. So you’re an LPC and an LMFT and associate in both. So you’re getting your hours. Just, it’s a lot to do that. But I love that she’s at a place that she can be supported and, and the journey too, you know?
Speaker 2 (15:36):
And I, and I, and I think God gave that to me because I went into my program to be a licensed married and family therapist. However, along the journey we lost the accreditation and that was added. So, and this happened one day when I was like, God, I know you brought me to this field. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what’s going on. And that was the day this was added. So I had dual license on the day. I was like, complaining to God, you see how God works? I was like, complain, God, I don’t know what I’m doing here. I don’t know why I’m here. And he gave me that, that this is like, is is a reward, right? I’m gonna support you. Right. This, you’re doing this for me. So that was just a confirmation that I’m doing what is right. Right.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Very good. I also believe too, that um, knowing that your whole background too, right? As you know, I tell people who come work for us, there’s gonna be a time you’re gonna be subpoenaed, right? You are. You come work for you, come work for Ms. Rhonda. And the kind of work that we do here, it’s not ’cause we go out and we look for the subpoena, but we work with families, right? And we work with trauma, and we work for those. We work with those that have been really, um, abused as a, as a teen or a child. And, and there’s criminal, criminal suits that also go in play. So, um, so I know that like having, having her have been a lawyer also, she kind of gets it right. Yeah. Where the new people come in here that don’t have that Yeah. They’re like, what a subpoena.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
I’m gonna be subpoenaed. It’s like, yes. But it’s a good thing because it teaches them how to keep records. What’s it like to pull them together mm-hmm <affirmative>. Like, and how to really kind of get yourself. And then I, I’ve been, um, not that I brag about it, but I’ve been so many times, probably since 2008, I’ve probably been about 50, 60 times into the courtroom to support my families or my children. Um, and, uh, and so I, I’m pretty familiar and so I’m pretty at ease, and so I’m able to put others at ease. And so with that being your experience, that would be super helpful too. You probably slip into that, help people feel a little more comfortable, what to expect. Um, that’s really exciting. Okay. What have you learned? Okay, now, I would like us to kind of kind of like banter back and forth a little bit here. What have you learned here at Eliminated Pathways that maybe surprised you or, or it’s excited you kind of, the labor that a little bit and kind of so that the people who might want to come here and choose you, what would be those things that excited you that you didn’t anticipate that you would be doing or learning?
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Okay. Um, one of the things that excited me was the, the animal therapy. Like the dog, Dwight is awesome. Like you can, it can really fuel you. And that’s one thing, I, I didn’t have that experience in other places. Like dog therapy, the animal tool, helping you with your emotions as going through those emotions. And your emotions can go either ways. So whatever is happening with you, do what the dog, the therapy dog is there to help you go through that process, which is a plus. So that was something exciting for me. Another thing is the support here. You feel like you are at home here. So as just rightly said earlier, this is a non-judgment zone. So no one is judging you for what you’ve done, what you are doing, just for us to help you in your growth process. So that’s another thing too. The support is not only for clients, but the staff too have been supported. The counselors have been supported. So that’s one and great thing that is really happening here. So you can come, you’ll be at home here. This is like a, a home away from your home. You’ll be glad with it.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Yes. Uh, you know, and, and I think, you know, that’s so true. Um, sometimes the best Christian counseling Texas has to offer coming here is the dog therapy, right? It really is. And so there is Dwight and then Bella. Um, she’s our, so, um, um, just a second here. Dwight. Dwight, let’s go. Dwight, come here. Come here baby. Come here. Come here. Wanna go up here, Dwight, let’s go. Come D. Right? Let’s go up here. Load up, load up. Okay. Right here. Come on left. Okay. So I don’t know, um, <laugh>, come here baby. I don’t know if you can see him. Come here. Come here. There we go. So here, here is Dwight. He is our sweet boy. And, and he’s so gentle. Um, he can be hyper and excited when you are, but in general, when he gets in the room, he does chill out, right?
Speaker 1 (20:30):
He’s very, very sweet. And so, you know, we just love having him here. And then Bella, so this is our standard poodle, and then Bella’s our golden retriever, and we rescued her August 1st. And so she’s kind of a little, Dwight is showing her around how to do things. So sometimes she gets in the therapy room, um, not always, but she’ll be trained soon to do the same work he does. And so the, the guests, our, our guests, which are our clients, they, um, they like the dogs. And so sometimes we have three therapy rooms and two dogs, <laugh>. So it becomes like, well, can I have the dog? No, I get the dog today. <laugh>. Like, so it’s a, um, so it’s really a special, a special venue. Um, is there any other area that, um, well, I guess talking about it, therapy being in the home, right?
Speaker 1 (21:26):
A home as first as like an office space, which might come one day. But since COVID I have, um, when everybody was sent home to work, I, I still had people to see. So I just, you know, my house is just my husband and I, and so the house is pretty big, and so it’s pretty much all business except for one or two rooms. And so, um, so I promised him, I know this is kind of silly, but I promised him never to kick our bed outta the house. <laugh> I don’t have, we don’t have anywhere else to go, but, um, but everything else is the business. It truly is. Yeah. And so, uh, what, what is it like knowing that you’re in a home versus in a the, the traditional workplace?
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Okay, so, um, in the beginning I thought about it that, oh, I would’ve preferred an office, like an office, a traditional office place compared to like a home office. However, um, coming here I found out that there wasn’t any interference, like maybe children running around, like all our children are grown and they moved out of the house even. So there’s no interference, like other people getting into therapy where you are there. So this is like a home, but still as the traditional office and experience, so to speak. So yeah, there have been a problem since I started working here.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Yeah. That’s awesome. Yeah. So yeah, so it was just my husband and I and the dogs <laugh>. And so, uh, and my husband also is part owner of the business, and so he does anything it has to do with a dollar sign. So that’s his role. And then I get to do everything else operational or therapeutically. So, uh, we are, we’ve been in doing, we’ve been doing, um, illuminate Pathways for 11 years and it’s been really, really exciting, uh, to see that come along. So the best Christian counseling Texas has to offer. Uh, we talked about quite a few things. We talked about animal therapy, we talked about, um, marriage and family therapy. We talked about systems, right? And whether you’re married or not, systems, right? So I know we do Simba, was that new for you to, to be a facilitator for Simba Save Your Marriage before it starts?
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Yeah, that, that was new for me, however, I’ve, um, read about it. I’ve read about it. Someone to have told me the, like, she uses it, she’s a therapist and she uses it in her, uh, practice. So working with it and becoming a facilitator was a game changer because now I used it with my clients and it’s been phenomena like people have seen the effect of it in their marriage. So becoming a, a facilitator was good and was really impactful. Good. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Yeah. So, you know, it’s, it’s called Simbi, the another acronym, but Save Your Marriage Before It Starts. And, um, Dr. Les and Doctors Less, and Leslie Parrot, um, they’re, I remember them from Illinois at Olive Nazarene University. Um, when I lived in Michigan, I know that they were there and they are the developers of this. Um, and so it already comes with a, not every has a Christian piece to it, but if you’re not a Christian, you don’t have to worry about it. You don’t have to answer those questions. But the, the neat part about it is, is the statistics that come out of that. So whether you’re premarital or you’ve been married five years, 20 years, 30 years, 50 years, this assessment’s good for across the board. And, and it really pulls up all the little pieces as you evolve in your life in the marriage.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
And, and so it kind of shows where to tweak things. Your marriage doesn’t have to be broken to do it either. It just can enhance your marriage, which is beautiful. And so, uh, the, uh, the, the assessment, anybody who completes it, uh, the couples that complete it and then go through the six to seven weeks of going over it, um, if there is a, a tendency to maybe that the marriage is on rock, like a rocky ground, or they feel they’re not gonna stay if they do it, 94% of the people who go through this assessment, their marriage is saved. Now that’s, that’s pretty amazing statistics, but I know that to be true. ’cause I’ve been doing it now for several years and, and I already thought that just being as a pastor and being, um, uh, a Christian and really helping people see like where things could go wrong in a marriage or the things to think about before getting married, those are the things that like actually come up in this assessment.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
And so I thought my statistics were pretty good at keeping, like, people had come to me and they were divorced. I’ve had three different couples get remarried, so this is pretty amazing. That was before the assessment. With the assessment, I can only imagine how many more families, their family structure, their family system that she talks about will be saved no matter, no matter the, the issue. Now, there might be a, a flavor of like pro-marriage, but, but obviously there are times when that’s not supported, right? Based on certain types of behaviors in that marriage. So please don’t think that if you come here, we’re thinking that anything that is being done to you, that’s not godly for sure, right? Super not, okay. We’re not gonna, we’re not gonna make a suggestion for the assessment. We’re gonna be supporting you and help you do the things that you need to do to, um, uh, to support whatever that is that you’re looking for.
Speaker 1 (27:13):
So I just wanted to share that this summer in July, stay tuned, we’re gonna be doing a marriage intensive retreat out at our Conroe location, which is a house, which is an Airbnb. And we just went ahead and on three acres and, and the property next door that the people that own cows, it’s in the country, beautiful place to do it. And we’re gonna put the house back, um, into a place where, uh, it will be set up for couples. And so we, we are really excited about that. And uh, so I just wanted to kind of throw a plug out there. Um, and we will be doing that in July, the end of July. And so stay tuned. Be looking at our website, should have that up and going by next week where you can get, um, information about it and look at it and, uh, and get registered. It’s very exciting. We, we hope that you’ll join us there for the best Christian counseling, uh, Texas has to offer. Um, is there anything else you would like to share about, um, therapy? Um, something you’re hoping for or would you’d like to see? Anything like that?
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Okay. Um, I wanna say that your life does have to be like, broken or you don’t have to be in a traumatic problem before you can seek therapy. Therapy to provide clarity. If you just need a place where you wanna clear your mind, you want someone, you want someone like a spring board to help you assess process, whatever it is that you are going through, therapy is a good place for you to start. You don’t, you don’t have to have trauma or traumatic experiences before you can come to therapy. You could be, you want a career counseling, you want, you know, you want clarity concerning any aspect of your life. That too can be. And if children are allowed to come to, you know, sometimes teenagers want to process some things and they don’t want their parents to know about it. This is a good place, you know, that your children are safe. We are not, um, forcing them to do some things. Just helping them to get that clarity that sometimes they may not want to discuss with their parents. So whether you are a child, whether you have teenagers, whether you are transitioning between jobs, whether you’re mar you’re starting your marriage, whether you are a veteran in marriage, whether you, whatever it’s, whatever, whatever stage you are in life therapy can be good for you. And we employ you to seek out the best therapies or the best therapies that the, that takes us can offer.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
That’s right, yes. So the different kind of focuses that we do, obviously a faith-based perspective, if you want, we have Christian counselings for pastors and their families, missionaries and other church leaders. So everyone here is a Christian that works here. We do a really good job at vetting that, that is a requirement to work for Illuminated Pathways because it just matches our mission statement. So, um, we want churches to feel welcome to come here. Um, we talked about simbi at length, about the premarital, it’s about five, six, you can get it done in five, but I say six and seven sessions ’cause it’s quite a long packet. And then you’re able to really kind of talk about it. We have play therapy, animal therapy, marriage counseling, anger management, uh, alcohol porn recovery, um, grief and loss, um, trauma executive functioning, kind of those who, whether you’re, uh, a minor or an adult who has a DD or A DHD or brain fog.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
So a lot of brain fog has been something that’s been on the rise since COVID and those who have like long haulers, COVID, um, I know my husband has suffered from that. And, uh, and so, and then being holistic, right? Giving you those options to kind of know what can be, um, help you with nutrition supplementation, um, nutraceuticals, uh, we do, um, offer Juice Plus, which is a whole food nutrition. And, uh, so there’s really great options. We do partner with a chiropractor and um, her name is Dr. Amy McDaniel and she’s, her, her business is called Cairo on the go. She has this tall high profile van. It’s all decked out inside and she comes to you, so that’s pretty cool. So, um, and she’s in the Houston area, so if you’re in Dallas, I don’t know, it’s gonna have to be a special arrangement, like, or something <laugh>, but um, but she is in the Houston area and so, uh, I I believe that she would be a huge benefit for the patients who come here to help them with that whole mind, body spirit because our body’s fully connected.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Yeah. And um, and then we also partner with a couple of different places for psychiatry. And, um, and so, and, and one of them for sure is a lot like our thinking where, uh, holistic. Holistic. And so yes, while medication is necessary from time to time, but not all medications necessary, not all medication you’re taking is gonna help you either. So the idea of knowing what symptoms and symptomology can come from being on medications, knowing what holistic things can help also, and maybe helping you make that choice. And so Michael Almanac from Helm Psychiatry, uh, on YouTube, if you go to Illuminated Pathways Family Therapy and you go to that channel, you’ll find, um, helm Psychiatry, uh, Michael, he and I did a video and it talks about what we do together here with Illuminated Pathways. So it gives you a little bit of a, something to go see and check out and, and sometimes our kids and our teens are on medications and, um, and what we find is maybe they weren’t, and it’s not true across the board, but maybe it’s not what’s best for them.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
They just need a tool or they need encouragement, or they just need to be edified and, and like poured into poor love into them and let them know they’ve been heard. And so that’s the other part that I love about what we do here. Um, and so definitely Duo and I, we’re not doctors. I am a wellness coach, and so I know that I, I, um, you know, I’ve been doing wellness for about, I guess 11 years now too. So I, um, maybe, maybe 10 years, almost 11. And so I, I believe in that idea. And so knowing that there’s options to choose from and give you informed choices.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
So I would like to invite you to call 9 7 2 7 6 8 0 7 5 4 to reach out for the best Christian counseling Texas has to offer to schedule a consultation and an appointment share about, um, we can, we can share with you about all our different counselors and the new additions that will be coming to work with IPFT. And we’ll also share about our grief support and see if it’s an interest to you. And maybe this is how you’d like to start. That’s every Friday, 5:00 PM $75 per session, and there’s seven sessions. And so it’ll rotate after seven back to one, one through seven, one through seven. And so if you miss the first few, it’s okay. You just kind of hang in until you get all seven. And then, um, then there’s other support groups and exciting conferences. There’ll be a family, um, technology conference June 12th and 13th, and it’s $200 per family.
Speaker 1 (35:13):
And we’ll have special speakers and people from law enforcement and from other fields to kind of help teach about what they see and the dangers that happen in our families. And so this will be my fourth time doing this type of conference. This will also be in Conroe, which will, we have so much space out there, and so it allows for it to be a little more comfortable and, and, and allows for you to kind of just enjoy, um, your time there. So does the sec. The, uh, June 12th and 13th. Um, the 12th is a Friday. It’s an introduction, kind of hear from the speakers, a little bit of pieces about them, and then all day Saturday and, uh, and then you’ll be dismissed after dinner. So it, it’ll be nice time to gather and be together and allow for, um, comradery among other families that’ll be there.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
And, uh, allow you to kind of learn about, um, the different things that you can do to protect your families. Um, with AI being so out there now and, um, AI being used for relationships, super, super concerning. Super, super concerning for us, right? So no one here, um, no one’s allowed to just reach out to ip, uh, like to ai, um, and do that for their work, right? Can happen. Use your creativity that God gave you, use the brain, learn how to like, educate, learn to communicate, um, with humanity. Um, AI is, is, is, I think it’s tantalizing, um, you know, to say, oh, this is such a new and upcoming thing, but it really can create problems in the family. So be careful with that. There’s a little teaser, some things we’re gonna be talking about in our Family Technology conference. Um, thank you so much for being with us. Thank you for taking time to learn about who, who Duo Samo is and we really are excited about having her here. And, um, and I know that she has room, um, she has more openings and we would really like to help her, um, meet you. And so please reach out once again for the best Christian counseling Texas has to offer. You can call 9 7 2 7 6 8 0 7 5 4. Thank you so much. God bless. And may you continue to reach for all the dreams and goals that you aspire to have. Thank you.