David R Lopez
Hi there, I'm David! I'm a Licensed Professional Counsellor (LPC) based in South Texas. I received my Masters from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and have been practicing for 8 years. I love helping people build practical, faith-informed skills they need to navigate everyday struggles. Your story matters. The issues of your heart matter.
I am committed to helping individuals learn how to develop the skills needed for navigating everyday struggles through the lens of their spiritual lives.
Let's work together to uncover the grace and celebrate the victories.
First session
In our first session together, we'll start with brief introductions, then dive into the specific challenges you're facing. My most important goal (as your therapist) in this first session is to be a person that shows you respect and gives you space to just be yourself. In my experience, the healing and clarity eventually come pretty quickly when we feel safe to be honest- never rushed. Then we usually end with talking about an agreed plan for us to work through going forward in follow-up sessions. The first step is always the toughest, but you're almost there. :)
Strengths
If you've been carrying pain or hurt for a long time, my goal is to give you a safe, respectful space to set it down and gain clarity about who your'e becoming. Together, we'll uncover the grace-filled moments in your story and gently work on habits and beliefs that have kept you feeling stuck. I believe in taking a collaborative approach to helping clients reach their goals. And I’m most passionate about helping people that are struggling with feeling stuck in some part of their lives or have been carrying a hidden part of their story that has caused so much pain and hurt; its time to talk about it, I'm here for you. It's been my honor to professionally hold a place where clients can feel safe and empowered to share, feel respected and gain clarity for who they are becoming.
Ideal clients
I love working with adults of any age, who typically are of the Christian faith. My clients are eager to address their issues (depression, anxiety, relational issues, biblical issues) and improve them, but need help incorporating biblical and clinical based tools to make their goal a reality. They often feel stuck, overwhelmed and anxious about their current situations. You don’t have to be a Christian to work with me, I welcome all faiths and cast no judgement on anyone’s beliefs. I invite you and offer the invitation to consider working with me, it would be my great honor to meet you.
Treatment methods
Christian Counseling
I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor committed to helping individuals learn how to develop the clinical skills needed for navigating everyday struggles through the lens of their spiritual lives. My work focuses on a mixture of uncovering positive, grace filled moments in the client's story and targeting the ineffective behaviors, habits, and beliefs that are causing the separation from the flow of an empowered life. I believe in taking a collaborative approach to helping clients reach their goals. I'm passionate about adult individuals struggling with putting the pieces of their life together that feel confusing or out of place. I walk alongside the client with respect and dignity to where they currently are in their relationship to God (or just life in general) and meet them where they are. I strive to provide presence and not preaching. I have found the most power and healing in this therapeutic posture.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
I have used Person Centered Therapy for as long I have been a counselor and I use it as my primary treatment method because it adheres to the belief that the client deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. So many of us have never been given the grace of just being "listened to" and respected for our own personal journey in life; and Person centered therapy has proven to be a fantastic treatment model to unearth great potential and healing in the clients I have worked with.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I have used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to successfully help clients reframe cognitive distortions and many negative patterns they have found themselves in.
Somatic
I have been using Somatic Therapy to help my clients gain knowledge about how their bodies have the ability to regulate the nervous system, release stress and process the emotions that they have held onto for some time. I find Somatic Therapy to be a deeply therapeutic addition to traditional talk therapy as it develops skills for the client to actually listen to the "messages" (e.g. emotions, tension) their body is sending them in a whole new way and give the client a sense of control, safety and understanding; where there may have previously been fear and loss of control.
Location
Virtual sessions