Email the office directly from the contact page. Dr. Carlson will set up a brief consultation call at no charge, usually within a few business days. If you both decide to move forward, she will send intake paperwork and schedule a first session.
Individual therapy is $300 for a 50-minute session. Couples therapy is $350 for 50 minutes, or $450 for 90 minutes. Couples begin with a 90-minute intake session. Fees for intensives and workshops depend on the format and length, so please ask.
Care at this level of training is a significant financial investment, and you will have exact figures for whatever you are considering before you commit to anything. A small number of reduced-fee hours are reserved each year; if cost is a barrier, say so on the consultation call.
Dr. Carlson is an out-of-network provider. A monthly superbill is provided for you to submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement. It is worth calling the number on your card and asking what your plan reimburses for out-of-network outpatient psychotherapy, and whether a deductible applies first.
Both. The office is in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, and Dr. Carlson sees clients by secure video throughout Texas. She is also PSYPACT authorized, which allows her to work by video with clients located in any participating PSYPACT state, so care can continue if you move or travel. Many clients mix in-person and video sessions. Intensives and workshops are in person.
An intensive is a large block of time, either a single long day or two consecutive days, devoted entirely to one person or one couple. It begins with a thorough history and an assessment of what keeps recurring, moves into focused work on the specific impasse, and ends with a written plan for what you do next.
People usually choose this format when weekly sessions would be too slow for what they are facing, when a demanding schedule makes a standing weekly hour unrealistic, when they are traveling in from out of town, or when there is a particular trauma or rupture that needs concentrated attention. Scheduling is arranged individually.
A small number of couples spend a weekend together learning and practicing. Dr. Carlson teaches, and each couple then works through guided exercises privately with one another. You are in a room with other couples, but you are never asked to disclose your relationship to the group.
Couples come for different reasons. Some are stuck in an old pattern or the same argument and want help seeing it clearly. Others are doing reasonably well and want a tune-up. Both belong in the room. Couples in acute crisis, or working through a specific betrayal, are usually better served by an intensive or by ongoing therapy.
Dr. Carlson's goal is always to work herself out of a job. How long that takes depends on what you bring. Focused work on a specific problem may take a few months. Complex trauma and longstanding relational patterns usually take longer, and she will say so plainly rather than leaving it vague. Progress is reviewed regularly, and how long the work continues is decided together.
Probably yes if you are looking for depth as well as relief, if your concerns feel longstanding or interconnected, or if you have had therapy that helped somewhat and want to go further.
Probably not if you need medication management, court-ordered evaluations, or active substance use treatment. Dr. Carlson will refer you to colleagues who do that work well.
Psychological assessment is a different matter. She is trained in in-depth assessment and will use it as part of treatment when it would bring useful clarity, though she does not take on standalone testing referrals.
Yes. Dr. Carlson works with adolescents, adults, and older adults. Her training includes pediatrics, and she is comfortable working across the developmental spectrum, which matters when a young person's difficulty is tangled up with the stage of life they are in.
With teenagers, she will discuss with both you and your teen how confidentiality works and how parents stay appropriately involved before the work begins.
Yes, with the limited legal exceptions that apply to every psychologist: risk of serious harm to yourself or someone else, suspected abuse of a child or vulnerable adult, and certain court orders. These are reviewed in detail at the first session so there are no surprises.