Shelby Houston (she/her)

My Approach to Helping

When someone comes to counseling it’s because they want something to change. I believe change happens by trying to be who we are rather than trying to be different. I practice contemporary relational gestalt therapy, which is an existential, experiential approach centered around building self-awareness, self-acceptance, and whole-self embodiment. I also incorporate parts work, somatics, dream work, psychedelic informed therapy, and neuroscience informed approaches into my counseling practice. Think of optical illusion - if you look long enough, a different image emerges from the one you first saw. This radical perspective shift is available anytime if you're present enough to see it. By tracking sensations, emotions, impulses, visual impressions, energies, and what's created in the relational field between us, we'll practice having deep presence.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I’m committed to honoring each client’s autonomy, intersecting identities, and the culturally-sensitive aspects of their experience, like gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, ability, neurodivergence, and body size. I create space to examine power, and I promote client choice and solicit feedback throughout the therapy process. I value making contact with clients at areas of difference because I believe it’s only in this contrast that a person finds themself. My practice is celebratory and affirming of the human experience in all of it’s wonderful, diverse, and beautiful forms.