Do you want to find yourself? Start where you are. Embrace Your Demons, Follow Your Heart! I'm Steven Wright, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) centered out of Georgetown, Texas. I treat Mood and Personality Disorders in Adults using a few strategies but ACT and Validation are my main weapons of choice. If you're looking for a companion who won't abandon you when shit gets real and life sucks or try to correct your thinking or emotions, I'm here for you. I'm basically like your personal Columbo wondering around with a curious mind trying to nonjudgmentally figure out what's going on in this collaborative experiment.
What can clients expect to take away from sessions with you?
The ACT therapeutic relationship: ACT training helps therapists to develop the essential qualities of compassion, acceptance, empathy, respect, and the ability to stay psychologically present even in the midst of strong emotions. Furthermore, ACT teaches therapists that, thanks to human language, they are in the same boat as their clients—so they don’t need to be enlightened beings or to ‘have it all together’. In fact, they might say to their clients something like: ‘I don’t want you to think I’ve got my life completely in order. It’s more as if you’re climbing your mountain over there and I’m climbing my mountain over here. It’s not as if I’ve reached the top and I’m having a rest. It’s just that from where I am on my mountain, I can see obstacles on your mountain that you can’t see. So I can point those out to you, and maybe show you some alternative routes around them.’ The experience of doing therapy becomes vastly different with ACT. It is no longer about getting rid of bad feelings or getting over old trauma. Instead it is about creating a rich, full and meaningful life even though pain is present. Hear from my clients: "I was only allowed to select two characteristics that stand out about Steven's therapy style and while I selected authentic and humorous, there is so much more that stands out about him. He's also very open-minded, intelligent, and very empowering. Whether I'm crying or laughing by the end of the session, I always feel like some progress has been made towards the betterment of my mental health and myself as a whole. He's such an authentic person that it's easy to talk to him about even the most devastating things that are affecting me and my mood. He's never once been pushy or come off as judgmental and always seems to help guide me in solving my problems in a way that constantly and consistently increases my feelings of self-worth and acceptance of myself and my mental illnesses. At the end of every session, I feel like I am one step closer to being my best border polar self, and for that, I am eternally grateful to have him as my therapist." "I have seen many therapists throughout the years, more than I care to admit. and Steven is the best, hands down. He is genuine, compassionate, understanding, funny, relatable, and incredibly intelligent. I have shared things that I have never shared before because he makes me feel comfortable. He checks in on me on me and responds to my messages immediately even though he doesn’t have to."
Explain to clients what areas you feel are your biggest strengths.
My biggest strength is that I am vulnerable about my weaknesses. I dropped out of high school and have always identified with outsiders since I can recall. Doesn't matter what society thinks is right or wrong, what matters to me is who you are and what you value. Sometimes in order to do something great you must go your own way and life is suffering even if you avoid living it passionately. My ideal clients are people who have hit rock bottom, completely given up to the point of Creative Hopelessness, are jaded by traditional therapy, and are open to becoming more authentic. I typically work great with people who either vibe with the Bipolar/BPD diagnosis or are neurodivergent but I am open to all outsiders. I enjoy working with anyone passionate about "doing the work" in the alchemical sense of what therapy is all about, becoming yourself. Since I practice ACT primarily I feel that I am more resistant to burnout because I am not constantly trying to correct thinking, emotions or try to keep people positive. Majority of my job is reminding people that their mind, inner experiences, fears and the ways they adapted to what they experienced are perfectly valid.
About Steven Wright
Serves ages
Accepts
Address
San Gabriel Park, East Morrow Street, Georgetown, TX, USAAppointments
Virtual & in-personMy treatment methods
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
Put simply: –The aim of ACT is to create a rich, full and meaningful life, while accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it. Put more technically: –The goal of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility has two components: 1) the ability to be psychologically present – i.e. aware, attentive, open to, and engaged in your experience; 2) the ability to control your behaviour to serve valued ends Official ACT definition: The goal of ACT is to increase psychological flexibility: the ability to contact the present moment and the psychological reactions it produces, as a fully conscious human being, and based on the situation, to persist with or change behaviour for valued ends. In ACT, there is no goal of symptom reduction. Symptom reduction frequently happens, but it is simply a fortuitous byproduct, not a goal. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, known as ‘ACT’ (pronounced as the word ‘act’) is a mindfulnessbased behavioural therapy that challenges the ground rules of most Western psychology. It utilizes an eclectic mix of metaphor, paradox, and mindfulness skills, along with a wide range of experiential exercises and values-guided behavioural interventions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, known as ‘ACT’ (pronounced as the word ‘act’) is a mindfulnessbased behavioural therapy that challenges the ground rules of most Western psychology. It utilizes an eclectic mix of metaphor, paradox, and mindfulness skills, along with a wide range of experiential exercises and values-guided behavioural interventions. ACT has proven effective with a diverse range of clinical conditions; depression, OCD, workplace stress, chronic pain, the stress of terminal cancer, anxiety, PTSD, anorexia, heroin abuse, marijuana abuse, and even schizophrenia. (Zettle & Raines, 1989; Twohig, Hayes & Masuda, 2006; Bond & Bunce, 2000; Dahl, Wilson & Nilsson, 2004; Branstetter, Wilson, Hildebrandt & Mutch, 2004). A study by Bach & Hayes (2002) showed that with only four hours of ACT, hospital re-admission rates for schizophrenic patients dropped by 50% over the next six months. https://www.actmindfully.com.au/upimages/Dr_Russ_Harris_-_A_Non-technical_Overview_of_ACT.pdf
Solution Focused Brief Treatment
"It it ain't broke don't fix it, if it works do more of it, and if it doesn't work try something different" -Principles of SFBT Solutions focused brief treatment is incredibly effective, by far the most practical and the most often utilized modality due to the limited time constraints of modern society. It isn't just a set of questions or techniques but it is an approach to doing therapy itself. Instead of focusing on the problem we focus on what is working, how it works and increase the odds of you doing more of the thing that is working. It centers around something called the miracle question, clients often find it fairly user friendly and is often suited for clients who aren't interested in exploring emotions but who would like to quickly cope with their problem in a short amount of time. Solutions Focused Brief Treatment is used from a postmodern perspective, understanding that what works for each person is entirely unique and entirely based on what works for the client. I typically do not use it as often on my clients who would benefit from skills or like myself, have a personality pathology. Client's who want to stay in a more problem solving perspective may benefit from this, as it doesn't require the client to look into the past and primarily focuses on the present or the future.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that was originally developed to treat individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, it has since been adapted for use with various other mental health conditions, especially those involving difficulties with emotion regulation. Overall, DBT is a comprehensive and structured therapy that helps individuals develop skills to cope with distressing emotions, improve relationships, and create a life worth living. It combines acceptance-based strategies with practical skills training to promote emotional stability and well-being.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model is a therapeutic approach that views the mind as made up of different "parts" or subpersonalities, each with its own perspectives, emotions, and roles. Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, IFS helps individuals identify and understand these internal parts, often characterized as inner "exiles," "managers," and "firefighters." At the core of IFS is the belief in a central, compassionate "Self" that can lead and heal these parts, fostering inner harmony. It is widely used for trauma recovery, emotional healing, and personal growth.
Somatic
Somatic therapy is a holistic approach to healing that focuses on the connection between the mind and body. It is based on the idea that trauma, stress, and emotions are not only stored in the mind but also within the body’s tissues, muscles, and nervous system. Through practices like body awareness, movement, touch, and breathing techniques, somatic therapy helps individuals release stored tension, heal emotional wounds, and regulate their nervous systems. This approach promotes greater self-awareness and emotional resilience by integrating both physical and emotional experiences. It is often used for trauma recovery, anxiety, and stress-related issues.