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281-222-6247
10210 Grogans Mill Rd, Suites 145 and 150, The Woodlands, TX 77380

Premier Counseling Center

Helping Clients Maintain Mental Wellness

Carrera Counseling Services, PLLC in The Woodlands, TX is a reliable counseling center that welcomes everyone seeking personal or spiritual growth. We offer professional help in navigating various life transitions, including coping with anxiety, grief or overwhelming stress and dealing with trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Browse through this page to learn more about our team.

Priscilla Carrera

About Our Licensed Professional Counselor

Meet Priscilla Carrera, MA/EdS, LPC

Priscilla Carrera is the owner of Carrera Counseling Services, PLLC and is a Licensed Professional Counselor who was born and raised in the Houston area. She then moved to Lubbock to obtain a Bachelor’s degree (BA) in Psychology from Texas Tech University. During her time in Lubbock, Priscilla worked with children and adolescents whose parents suffered from addictions and provided drug prevention education to community schools and juvenile detention programs. Priscilla then moved to New Jersey to obtain her Master’s degree (MA) and Education Specialist degree (EdS) from Seton Hall University. While in New Jersey, she gained experience working in a variety of settings that included a therapeutic nursery, an inpatient psychiatric unit, and a community mental health agency that provided outpatient counseling services and in-school services. Priscilla also gained valuable experience doing crisis work and case management with Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (formerly known as the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey).

Priscilla moved to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina in 2012 and she became an Employee Assistance Program counselor for the local hospital system. There, she worked with health care employees, such as nurses and paramedics, as they navigated through work-related stressors. After having two children, Priscilla chose to move to private practice, which would allow for a better work-life balance. While in private practice, Priscilla gained more experience with active duty military families and veterans, which led to her interest in working with trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Priscilla moved back to the Houston area in 2017 and is very excited to be back to her roots in the great state of Texas. Military families still hold a special place in her heart, but she now serves a variety of populations and works with people experiencing many kinds of stressors.

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Priscilla Is in Network With

Aetna | Tricare | United Healthcare

Out-of-Network/Self-Pay Rate: $150 per session

Email: priscilla@carreracounseling.com

Phone:

281-222-6247

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Patient Hours

Monday through Thursday: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM

(Virtual or In Person)

Meet Dora Jimenez, LPC

Dora Jimenez is a Spanish-speaking Licensed Professional Counselor. She was born in Houston, TX and moved to College station to attend Texas A&M where she completed her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology. After graduation, Dora worked in a mental health setting with children and adolescents where she assisted them in coping with their symptoms. After completing her Masters of Arts in Counseling at Sam Houston, Dora obtained her LPC and has been providing counseling services since.

Dora has worked with patients from different age ranges and in an outpatient setting. She enjoys helping individuals in crisis get through their goals. Dora works the evening hours serving adolescents as young as 13, adults, couples, and families.

Dora Is in Network With

Aetna | Awaiting United Healthcare | BCBS | Tricare

Out-of-Network/Self-Pay Rate: $130 per session

Email: Dorajimz2020@gmail.com

Phone: 832-805-1928

Psychology Today Profile

Patient Hours

Monday through Wednesday: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
(Virtual or In Person)

Melinda Ferguson, LCSW

Melinda is a Licensed Clinical Social worker with a strong desire to help clients get through the highs and lows in life. Melinda has lived in Houston, Texas most of her life and received her Bachelors in Social Work from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2009. She then went on to obtain her Masters of Science in Social Work from University of Texas at Austin in 2011. After graduating, Melinda has worked in several different fields including foster care/adoption, women’s health services, as well as a pediatric hospital. Melinda has experience and has a passion for working with individuals struggling with life transitions, anxiety and/or depression, grief/loss concerns, as well as those with chronic illnesses, and uses a person-centered and strengths-based approach to help clients address their concerns.

Melinda enjoys working with individuals to help them meet their goals, no matter how big or small. Melinda understands that sometimes the hardest part of making changes is asking for support and reaching out. She believes that therapy is a collaborative process, which is why finding a therapist who is the right fit is important in your journey. She offers phone consultations to see if she would be the right fit for you to help you reach your goals. Melinda works with tweens and teens, as well as adults. Melinda is currently accepting new clients.

Melinda Is in Network With

United Healthcare | Aetna

Self-Pay Rate: $150 per session

Email:

fergusoncounseling@hotmail.com

Phone:

832-992-6632

Psychology Today Profile

Patient Hours

Monday to Wednesday: 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM
(Virtual or In Person)

David Christopher Estes, LPC

Chris has more than 20 years of experience, knowledge, and wisdom as a licensed mental health provider, educator, and researcher. He has worked with a wide range of adult and adolescent clients, and has expertise with many client issues and therapy models. Research consistently demonstrates that the most important factor in the success of psychotherapy is the strength of relationship between the patient and the therapist. Chris will work to support an environment of mutual respect, trust, and honesty. It is his belief that therapy works best when there is openness, sincerity, and compassion. Chris practices from a trauma-informed care model that seeks to avoid exploitation or revictimization.

In much of his career, Chris has worked alongside other medical professionals, such as psychiatrists and primary care providers. He believes in a holistic approach – Mental Health is Health – and can guide clients in seeking, understanding, and communicating with their health care providers. While he does not prescribe medications, Chris is well-educated in pharmacotherapy (using medications to assist with psychiatric concerns) and can assist clients in navigating the intersection between physical health and mental health.

Chris welcomes all adults and adolescents aged 13 and above. Some common issues he helps with include: depression, anxiety, abuse/trauma, stress (including PTSD), grief/loss, relationship issues, chronic illness, and crisis management.

Chris has a special connection with the following populations:

Healthcare Professionals / First Responders

He has worked in and around law enforcement for 30 years. Chris began a career as a peace officer after completing his undergraduate degree. Although he left fulltime law enforcement and pursued graduate education, he remained close by volunteering in reserve work and special projects. Chris continues to work within the 911 system in Harris County, TX riding with a peace officer partner and responding to 911 calls with mental health components. He regularly teams with law enforcement, psychiatrists, emergency physicians, trauma nurses, paramedics, and EMTs to provide emergent care to patients in psychiatric crises. He knows firsthand the unique stressors of working as a first responder and the toll it takes personally and relationally.

Victims of Spiritual Abuse, Religious Trauma, and “Ex-vangelicals”

Spirituality is at the core of the human experience. Chris was raised in a fundamentalist evangelical religion and like many people today, he experienced a spiritual crisis that led him to deconstruct his faith. Having degrees in theology and psychology, he had many tools that most do not. The education did not, of course, spare him the full weight of the emotional turmoil that followed, as he struggled with sometimes overwhelming feelings of fear, loss, anger, resentment, guilt, and despondency. For a time, Chris felt completely lost.

He believes his knowledge did allow him to reconstruct a spirituality that favored a reasoned, compassionate, and informed theology. He discovered that he could have a healthy faith that looked different on the surface from his upbringing but that brought back the deep and meaningful spirituality that he had lost during his crisis. It is vital to note, however, that Chris does not “evangelize” or seek to “convert” clients – which is exploitative and a violation of ethical codes of conduct. Rather, he seeks to support each person through the crisis of faith and the powerful emotions that follow, into their own process of deconstruction and into reconstruction that supports mental and emotional wellness. He approaches as a fellow traveler on a spiritual journey, knowledgeable of both the healthy and unhealthy aspects of the Judeo-Christian religious tradition.

David Is in Network With

BCBS | United Healthcare | Aetna

Self-Pay Rate: $150 per session

Email:

cestes.txlpc@gmail.com
Phone:

832-694-0234

Patient Hours: Mondays 1pm-9pm (Virtual or In Person)

Gabriela Westbrook, LMSW

Gabriela Westbrook

Supervised by Megan Coit, LCSW-S

Gabriela is a bilingual Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) in the state of Texas under the supervision of Megan Coit, LMSW-S. Gabriela received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in International Studies from Texas State University. She completed her Master of Social Work degree at the University of Houston where she specialized in clinical and macro practice. She completed her practicum as an advocate and counselor working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. She has extensive experience working in a mental health hospital as an outpatient therapist providing group therapy for adolescents and adults.

Gabriela is an anxiety disorders and treatment specialist. She utilizes Exposure Response and Prevention (ERP) to help adolescents and adults who struggle with Anxiety disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and other phobias. ERP is a science-based treatment and the gold standard treatment in mental health to helping clients overcome their fears. A reduction in symptoms is achievable through exposure therapy.

Running away from your fears can often lead to patterns of behavior that may provide immediate relief but does not break the cycle of anxiety; instead it only increases it. You may find yourself engaging in ritualistic behaviors such as avoidance, reassurance seeking, overt behaviors, and even mental compulsions. If anxiety has become debilitating and prevents you from functioning in day-to-day tasks, exposure treatment may be what you need. Exposure therapy can be hard but it is effective. It requires consistency and work. As an exposure therapist, her approach is compassionate and treatment is tailored to your specific needs. Gabriela also incorporates additional evidenced-based therapy that include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).

Most importantly, Gabriela recognizes the importance of the therapeutic alliance and believes that change can only take place in an environment of trust where the client feels safe to explore, take risks, and learn about themselves. For a free consultation, please call or email (direct contact info below).

Self pay rate: $135 per one hour session

Email: gwestbrook.lmsw@gmail.com

Phone Number: (346) 336-2854

Patient Hours (Virtual or in person)

Tuesday evenings

Thursdays 12pm-5pm

Fridays 12pm-4pm

Saturdays 9am-12pm

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Inquire About Our Counseling Services

At Carrera Counseling Services, PLLC, we offer a safe space for patients to share their struggles. We aim to change your perspective and help you take the first step toward recovery. Contact our counseling center today for more information about our counseling services.

To schedule counseling sessions, you may contact us via email or phone. We look forward to providing you with compassionate counseling services.

Carrera Counseling Services, PLLC

10210 Grogans Mill Rd, Suites 145 and 150
The Woodlands, TX 77380

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281-222-6247

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info@carreracounseling.com

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Monday to Friday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Saturday to Sunday: Closed