Meet Your Therapist
Founder, Therapist
India Gardner, MA, LPC Associate
I am glad you found me and I look forward to collaborating with you during your therapy journey to healing and restoration.
I'm India! I am the owner/founder of Couch Conversations & Consulting, PLLC! Thank you for taking the first step on your therapeutic journey of healing and restoration with me, one conversation at a time.
I am an LPC Associate in Texas, supervised by Lacie Hamilton, LPC-S.
I enjoy working with teens, adults, couples, and groups!
Several years ago, I sustained a traumatic brain injury that rendered me with multiple acquired invisible disabilities. My own experience with therapy to helped me adjust to the new normal and during my experience I discovered new facets of myself that enriched my life's tapestry and gave me the fortitude to push forward to obtain my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, become a therapist and pay forward the healing and restoration that I received in therapy to my therapy clients.
Trauma can be a scary wilderness because it shakes you to the core of who you are. Therapy showed me that fear can be utilized as a powerful catalyst to motivate and elevate you to the next phase of your life. Most importantly, I learned I would not let the fear from my trauma determine my future nor hold me back from achieving my life’s goals. Instead, I learned to use it as fuel and was able to overcome my fears and the trauma. I hope to demonstrate to my clients, that they too can gradually overcome trauma, one conversation at a time.
I aim for my work as a therapist to be living proof of the benefits and enrichment that therapy can be for one’s overall mental health. I am drawn to holistic approaches which allow me to consider the entirety of the client (biological, psychological, environmental, and cultural facets) to understand the world from their perspective while respecting their uniqueness as a human. In short, I like to meet clients where they are when they come to therapy, and I like to tailor the therapy to fit their uniqueness.
From my perspective, the client is the expert in their lives and I, as the therapist, am a collaborator responsible for fostering empathy, respect, compassion and curiosity. I view the counseling relationship as more of a working collaboration with clients to address their reason(s) for coming to therapy.
My therapeutic style consists of a blend of ingredients that are direct, collaborative, relaxed, relatable and compassionate, peppered with a dose of humor. My therapeutic approach utilizes a strong foundation of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) Dialectical Behavioral Therapy(DBT), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Narrative, Existential and Solution Focused modalities, enhanced with trauma informed care, developmental psychology and motivational interviewing.
Additionally, I have a deeply vested interest in encouraging more BIPOC clients to seek therapy and to view therapy as a safe and empowering space where one feels heard, valued and free to express and celebrate one's uniqueness and authenticity.
My motto is “do something you can be proud of each day.” I hope to inspire this same enthusiasm in my clients. If I can help at least one person embrace uncertainty while creating a meaningful, authentic life, then I have made a difference in the world, and fulfilled the Couch Conversations and Consulting mission, one conversation at a time.
More about India
Rates
Starting at $140/hr
Areas of Expertise
Traumatic Brain Injury & Concussions
Acquired and Congenital Disability
Chronic Pain & Illness
Racial Identity & Affirmation
Mood & Anxiety Concerns
Life Transition & Skills
Trauma
Works With
Inner Critic/Negative Self Talk
Premarital Issues
Trauma
Substance Use
Loneliness/Isolation
Low Self-Esteem
Perfectionism
Problem Thoughts
Personal Growth
Life Transitions
Grief & Loss
Relationship Issues
Conflict Resolution
Caregiver Fatigue
Chronic Illness
Career Transitions
Problems at Work
Anxiety & Stress
Depression/Low Mood
Imposter Syndrome
Issues Related to Oppression
Interrupted Sleep/Insomnia
Neurodivergence (ADD/Autism)
Divorce
Anger Management
Issues with Parents
Problems at School
Identity Development/Exploration
Domestic Violence
Communication Issues
Relationship to Food/Body
Troublesome Behaviors
Development Trauma
Troubled Childhood
Affair Recovery
Techniques & Experience
Practices from an anti-racist lens
Specializing in couples counseling
CBT oriented
DBT trained/informed
Solution-focused/Brief Therapy
Anxiety alleviation experience
Trauma-focused
Familiar with substance abuse
Career counseling
Focused on practicing skills
Specializing in grief, loss, death, dying
Helpful with mid-20's challenge
Qualities
Lived experience/Identity affirming
Enjoys working with first-time therapy clients
Warm & caring
Friendly & direct
Active sense of humor
Enjoys working with young adults
LGBTQIA+ Affirming
Professional experience other than counseling
Youthful
Enjoys working with older adults
Calm & slow-paced
Decades of life experience
Spiritually sensitive
Enjoys working with midlife adults
Familiar with military culture
Anxiety alleviation experience