Most therapy starts by asking what's wrong. This one starts by asking what you want instead.
Therapy that starts with what's already working.
The past matters. It just doesn't have to be the whole conversation. Let's focus on what helps you move forward.
About
A grounded, direct approach
You don't need someone to tell you everything that's wrong. You need someone who will pay close attention to what's already going right, and help you build on it.
That's the core of how I work. Sessions are conversational, collaborative, and focused. I ask a lot of questions, listen closely, and help you get specific about what a better week actually looks like. Most people leave a first session with more clarity than they walked in with.
I have deep roots in this area and a long-standing connection to the people who call it home.
Call (682) 777-0823 to schedule a session, or start with a free 15-minute consultation.
CredentialM.A., LPC-Associate (Texas)
SupervisionCraig Black, M.S., LPC-S, LCDC, CCTP
MembershipsAmerican Counseling Association
LocationsTelehealth statewide (TX) · In-person, Denton County, TX
FormatCash-pay, sliding scale available
Approach
What actually happens in a session
My primary framework is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, a practical, present and future focused approach built around your own strengths and past successes, not a deep dive into the past.
Solution-focused (primary)
We spend most of our time on what you want to be different and what's already pointing you there. That includes small exceptions, past successes, and concrete next steps, rather than dissecting problems.
Person-centered
You set the pace and the goals. My job is to offer a genuinely warm, non-judgmental space, not to steer you toward my own agenda.
What to expect
What working together feels like
You don't have to perform
You don't need the right words or a perfectly defined problem. We start wherever you are.
Your past isn't the whole story
Your history matters, but so do the things that are working right now, even in small ways.
We'll get specific
Instead of "I want to feel better," we'll figure out what better would actually look like in your week.
Movement, not perfection
We look for a next step that's actually doable. Sometimes it's smaller than you think.
Focus areas
Who I work with
I work with adults and older adults, as well as teens and preteens.
When you feel disconnected
Loneliness & isolation
Feeling disconnected even when you're surrounded by people, or like the connection you have isn't quite landing.
Loneliness doesn't always look like being alone. It can show up in a full calendar that still feels empty, or a marriage or friend group where you feel unseen. Sessions here often focus on what real connection would actually look like for you, and small ways to move toward it without forcing something that doesn't fit.
Shame
The heavy, sticky feeling that something is wrong with you, not just something you did.
Shame convinces you that it's permanent and that everyone can see it. We'll focus on the moments it already loosens its grip a little, and what you notice about yourself in those moments, then build toward what it would look like to carry less of it day to day.
When life is changing
Life transitions
Career changes, relationship shifts, or any stretch where the old way of doing things stopped working.
Transitions can be chosen or forced on you. Either way, we'll focus less on how you got here and more on getting clear about what you actually want on the other side of the change, and the next step toward it.
Navigating a changing world
Making sense of the anxiety, work, and identity shifts as technology and AI reshape the ground under all of it.
I recognize that many people are trying to make sense of life in a rapidly changing world. Technology and AI are beginning to affect how people think about work, parenting, identity, relationships, anxiety, and the future. That shows up in very ordinary ways: a career shift that no longer feels stable, a role at home or work that's changing shape, or the general sense that the ground rules changed without anyone explaining the new ones. I believe these changes are becoming an important part of the conversations many clients need space to process. My goal is to help clients stay grounded, clear, and connected to what matters as they navigate both personal change and a changing world.
When you feel stuck
Depression
Low motivation, flat mood, and the sense that nothing is moving.
Depression can make even small tasks feel enormous. Rather than starting with everything that's wrong, we look for whatever is still working, even in a small way, and build from there. The goal isn't a total life overhaul. It's finding a next step that's actually doable.
ADHD
Support for the parts of ADHD that don't show up on a checklist: shame, anxiety, burnout, and strained relationships.
A lot of ADHD support focuses on systems and productivity. That matters, but it's often not the hardest part. I work with adults on the emotional weight that comes with ADHD: the shame from years of being told to try harder, the exhaustion of masking, and the friction it can create in relationships and work. We'll also talk practically about what actually helps you, since generic advice rarely fits.
Not sure your situation fits neatly into one of these? Reach out anyway. Most people's reasons for starting therapy don't sort cleanly into a single category.
Writing
Articles
What "Person-Centered" Actually Means
A lot of people hear "person-centered" and assume it just means being nice. It's more specific than that.
The Loneliness That Doesn't Look Like Being Alone
Loneliness rarely looks like the picture in your head: an empty room, no one to call, nowhere to be. More often, it looks like a full calendar, a full life even, and still feeling unseen. That gap between how connected things appear from the outside and how alone they can feel on the inside is where a lot of people quietly get stuck, sometimes wondering whether what they're feeling even counts as loneliness.
Adult ADHD Isn't Just About Focus
ADHD has a way of making you pay attention to everything that didn't happen: the email you didn't answer, the thing you walked into the room to get and immediately forgot, the project you were absolutely going to start today, the keys you misplaced again.
Shame Lies About Being Permanent
Shame has a specific trick it plays: it convinces you it's a fact about who you are, not something you did, or something that happened. Guilt says "I made a mistake." Shame says "I am the mistake." That distinction matters, because one of those is workable and the other feels like a life sentence, even when it isn't one.
Nobody Explained the New Rules
There is a strange kind of uncertainty that comes from realizing the world may be changing faster than the assumptions you built your life around. Sometimes it can feel like the rules changed without anyone explaining the new ones. Nothing dramatic has to happen on a particular Tuesday for work to feel less predictable, a skill you once counted on to feel less permanent, or the future to seem harder to picture than it used to.
When Nothing Feels Like It's Moving
Depression has a talent for making everything look the same size. The email you've been avoiding and the laundry pile and the phone call you keep not making all collapse into one undifferentiated wall of "too much." That flattening is part of what makes it so hard to explain to someone who hasn't been there: it's not that you don't care, it's that nothing about the caring translates into motion.
The Old Way Stopped Working
Some transitions you choose: a new job, a move, walking away from something that no longer fits. Others choose you: a layoff, a breakup, a diagnosis, a child leaving for college. Either way, the effect can be similar. The routines, roles, expectations, or plans that used to work suddenly don't fit the same way anymore.
New Neighbors, New Normal: Why Big Changes Feel So Big
Between the bluebonnets, the horse pastures, and rooftops going up seemingly overnight, southern Denton County is changing fast. Maybe you just moved here. Maybe you've lived here for years and your own neighborhood barely looks familiar. Either way, you're in a life transition, and your brain has opinions about it.
New articles are added here every couple of weeks.
Sessions
How we'll meet
Telehealth
Available anywhere in Texas. Sessions run about 50 minutes over a secure video platform, with no commute and no waiting room.
In person
Available at New Hope Wellness Center in Sanger, TX, for clients who prefer face-to-face sessions or a mix of both.
Investment
Fees
This practice is cash-pay and does not bill insurance directly. If your plan offers out-of-network benefits, I can provide documentation you can submit for possible reimbursement. Sessions are also typically eligible for payment or reimbursement through FSA and HSA accounts.
| Session type | Length | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Individual session | 50 minutes | $100 |
| Sliding scale | 50 minutes | $65 to $100 |
A limited number of sliding-scale spots are available based on income, in four tiers. Ask about availability during your free 15-minute consultation.
Your rights
Good Faith Estimate
Beginning January 1, 2022, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate explaining how much your care is expected to cost.
If you don't have insurance, or you aren't planning to use your insurance, healthcare providers are required to give you an estimate of the expected cost of your medical items and services, including psychotherapy, before you receive them.
This includes a written estimate of the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services, along with related costs such as tests, medications, equipment, or facility fees where applicable.
You can ask your provider, or any provider you're considering, for a written Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service, and again at least one business day before your appointment.
If your final bill is $400 or more above your Good Faith Estimate, you have the right to dispute it. Keep a copy of your estimate for your records.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit cms.gov/nosurprises.
Licensure
Supervision & disclosure
Russell Ammons, M.A., LPC-Associate, is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate in the state of Texas, practicing under the supervision of Craig Black, M.S., LPC-S, LCDC, CCTP, license number 72223. Craig Black can be reached at (214) 699-9016 or craig@craigblackcounseling.com.
As an LPC-Associate, all clinical work is performed under the supervision of a Board-approved LPC-Supervisor, in accordance with the Texas Administrative Code.
Contact
Ready to get started?
Call (682) 777-0823 to schedule a session, or start with a free 15-minute consultation.
No cost, no obligation, just a chance to see if we're a good fit.
Email
russell@ammons.com
Email isn't a fully secure channel. Please avoid sharing sensitive health details until we've started working together.
Phone
(682) 777-0823
In-person location
New Hope Wellness Center · Sanger, TX
This site is not monitored for emergencies. If you're in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or call 911.