Pamela Poulter, LPC, MS
Trauma-Informed | LGBTQIA+ Allied | BIPOC Competent | Neurodivergent Affirming | Social Justice-Oriented
Welcome! As we work together, my goal is to help you feel unconditionally safe, accepted, and understood. This means therapy can be whatever you want it to be - a place to grow, laugh, cry, reflect, and feel the entire spectrum of human emotions with compassion.
My background is in both engineering and counseling. I previously worked as a chemical engineer in manufacturing and operations in Houston. Over time, I found that I wanted to pursue a career that fostered emotional support and was relationship-focused. My counseling experience is based in trauma-informed case management, university settings, and private practice. I have worked with clients ages 6 through 60+ that experience trauma, neurodivergence, grief, identity conflicts, multicultural identity exploration, substance abuse and recovery, disabilities, anxiety, depression, eating behaviors, OCD, relationship conflicts, and more.
My belief is that we are who and what we’ve experienced in our lives, and this forms how we view ourselves and our world. Therapy can be an opportunity to both accept our experiences and grow into a more authentic version of ourselves. I find that my approach is relationship-centered through engaging humor, patience, and acceptance.
At the center of our work is our relationship that we build together. Because of this, I understand the importance of finding a counselor that feels like the right fit. If you are interested in a consultation, please click the link below and we can discuss more!
What to Expect
In person and virtual counseling sessions for individuals and couples looking to foster the relationships in their lives and grow through compassion and self acceptance.
Sessions may look like
Exploring past wounds from childhood, family, institutions and systems and how they impact the way you view your self and act in relationships
Finding patterns in your life that seek to fulfill certain needs and potential alternative approaches to meet those needs
Learning ways to feel more connected with your internal world as you feel more capable sitting with difficult emotions through non-judgemental acceptance
My approaches used include:
Conversations that focus on our somatic or bodily response to stressors, thought and behavioral patterns, non-judgemental acceptance of difficult emotions, adding context and compassion to our internal dialogue, finding meaning and purpose through exploring belief and value system, and exploring how you feel seen, loved, and connected
Specific theories I utilize include: Mindfulness and trauma-informed CBT, DBT, ACT, Narrative theories, Humanistic/Existential theories, Attachment Theory, Gottman Sound House Relationship Theory
Couples Counseling
For couples counseling, I use the Gottman Approach. The basis of this approach prioritizes friendship, empathy, admiration, regulation, trust, commitment, and shared meaning.
Key elements of our sessions will involve:
Building skills to help you feel more comfortable communicating during conflict and stress
Develop life goals, foster sources of connection
Explore potential wounds from past relationships or trauma that show up in the relationship
Foster emotional closeness and intimacy
I support couples of all backgrounds, including multiracial, LGBTQIA+, polyamory. It is important that all members of the relationship feel safe, supported, and accepted.
If you have any questions, please reach out!
Further Details
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We will start off with the intake session where we discuss what brought you to counseling, relative history, family history, current symptoms. or stressors. Afterwords, we will start to work together to build a treatment plan including your goals and how you want to achieve them. Each session will be 53-minutes either in person or virtually. Feel free to come prepared to session with certain topics or we can leave it open and see what comes up. Often times difficult emotions or responses will be present, so before the end of these sessions we will engage some grounding or regulation plan to help you feel more comfortable before you leave.
For couples counseling, we will meet for the first session to discuss what brought you to counseling, relevant history, conflict repair attempts. I will then meet with each member individually to discuss family and life history, and then we will all return back to review and discuss our next steps.
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Self pay includes $200 for the first session only, $175 for couples, and $150 for individuals for each 53-minute session.
If you would like to use insurance, please let me know and I can see if I am in network. If I am in network, we will use an insurance portal (Headway) to process your copay or co-insurance. These charges are dependent on your specific plan and deductible.
I am currently in network with Acension Smart Health, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Carelon Behavioral Health, Cigna, Curative, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Independence. Blue Cross of Pennslyvannia
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If you are interested in a free 15-minute consulation, please fill out the Contact section of this website. Expect about 24-48 hours and I will reach out and plan our consultation.
If you would like to bypass the consultation and schedule a session, please find the link to the Client Portal, pick New Client, and find a time that works best for you!
After you send a session request, you will get an email to set up your account in Session Health (Client Portal) and Headway (Insurance Portal), complete your informed consent, and find additional information on how to meet for your first session.
If you have any questions, please reach out at pamela@lily-health.com